A Change of Pace
by Maryanne Jarvey
Summary: Set after The Little Mermaid II, Ariel and Melody have continued to return to the seas. However, what happens if Eric decides to join them for a trip? Rated just in case.
1. Jealous Goodbyes

"Father!" The sound of sliding feet and giggling came from down the hallway. Eric poked his head out of the doorway and saw his teenage daughter, Melody, heading towards him at full speed. He smiled brightly and stepped out into the hallway, catching her in his arms.

"Mel, I think you may be getting a tad old for this," he said as she choked the air out of him. Once she had been set back down, Melody grinned at her father.

"Sorry, I guess that saying good bye to you like that is kinda our thing, don't you think?" Eric laughed and nodded his head, rubbing the back of his neck

"I suppose. Where's your mother?" Melody shrugged, her thick, black bangs falling into her face. Eric laughed and played with her hair, causing Melody to go into a fit of laughter.

"Dad, cut it out!" Eric quickly ran into his room, threw on his boots, and re-entered the hallway. Upon his entrance, he saw that Melody had already sprinted down the hallway. She looked behind her, her laughter still filling the corridor, to see her father beginning to chase after her. He was catching up quick, his long strides helping him out.

Melody sped up,noticing her father was closing in rapidly. She turned a corner to fool Eric but in her turn, ended up running into her mother. They both fell to the floor with a loud crash.

"Melody, what on Earth are you doing, running about the house at full speed and not watching where you're going?" The queen picked herself up, offering her hand to Melody. "I swear, whenever we get ready to go back to Atlantica, you lose that head of yours."

The young princess sighed and accepted her mother's hand, pulling herself up. "Sorry mother," Melody mumbled. "See, I was going to say good bye to father and my bangs fell into my face and-."

Cut off by the hand of her mother, Melody's head fell to the ground.

"No need for an explanation, Melody," Ariel said, placing a reassuring hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Now go get the rest of your things and I'll meet you outside." Melody smiled at her mother's comforting grin and did as she was told. As for Ariel, she set out to find Eric.

He was looking into each and every room, hoping to find either his daughter or his wife in one of them. When he came out of the last door in the hallway, he found Ariel standing outside, staring straight at him. Her hair was a mess and her arms were crossed. If looks could kill, Eric would certainly be dead.

_This can't be good,_ Eric thought as he gave Ariel a sheepish grin.

"Hi, honey." He approached her slowly, as if he were approaching a wild animal that could pounce at any moment.

Ariel began tapping her foot impatiently. The smile she was holding back was getting harder and harder to hide. Although playing with Eric's mind was not something that Ariel did on a regular basis, when she did do it, she liked to do it well.

Eric waved a hand in front of Ariel's face. "Ariel?" Ariel uncrossed her arms and placed her hands on her hips.

"Do you realize that your silly antics with your daughter could have easily harmed one or both of us?" she asked, her scarlet hair in her face.

Eric felt his face flush and he laughed quietly, thinking of something that could take Ariel's mind off of the situation. He made direct eye contact with her for the first time during their conversation and Ariel couldn't handle it. She burst into a giggle fest. The confused expression on Eric's face caused Ariel to laugh even harder.

"Oh, Eric, you should have seen the look on your face," she explained, wiping a tear from her eye once the hilarity had ended. Eric shook his head and chuckled a bit.

"Well, if I came out and was glaring at you like you were to me, what would you do?" Ariel shrugged her shoulders and smiled.

"I'm sorry." Eric showed that he forgave Ariel by pushing the hair that was in her face neatly behind her ear. Ariel's gaze fell to the floor and she blushed. Even after being married for nearly twenty years, she couldn't help but get nervous whenever Eric merely smiled at her.

Remembering the reason all of this had begun, Eric pulled Ariel into a tight embrace. "I'm going to miss you, Ariel," he whispered into her ear. She sighed into his chest, inhaling his usual smell of sea salt and the ocean. She loved that he smelled this way for it reminded her of her home. A home that she would be seeing very soon.

Ariel couldn't deny that she loved going back to Atlantica. Her father had finally loosened up a bit ever since his world had been ridden of Ursula and Morgana. It seemed so much safer for Melody to be down there now.

However, whenever she visited her home, she missed Eric terribly. She had become so accustomed to waking up with legs and seeing her handsome husband lying next to her. Her favorite memory of waking up next to him was the morning after their first night together, their honeymoon night.

_She woke up to the feel of his arm around her waist, holding her tight and close to him. Having carefully maneuvered herself so she wouldn't wake him, she turned to face him. He had a slight smile on his face and the piece of hair that swooped along his forehead was hanging limply in his eyes. The sight of him sleeping so peacefully made her smile, and she knew it would be an image she would never forget._

"Ariel?" Eric said as he picked his head up off of hers and looked at her. "Everything alright?" Ariel nodded into his chest and slowly picked up her own head. Upon making eye contact with Eric, she smiled.

"I'm going to miss you too." Eric grinned at her and leaned in for a kiss. When their lips met, they both were reminded of the same exhilaration they had had when their lips met the first time. Ariel smiled within the kiss and Eric soon followed, deepening it just a little bit.

"Mom, hurry up! Grandfather is already outside and you _know_ how impatient he can get!" Seeing her parents, Melody recoiled. "Uh, ew! Can't you guys do that somewhere where I _won't_ catch you?" The couple broke apart and smiled at their daughter.

"Sorry sweetheart," Ariel said. "You all packed?" Melody nodded and picked up her bag, which contained only her shell collection and interchangeable necklaces. The golden locket from her grandfather was currently dangling around her neck.

"Meet you downstairs!" The sounds of Melody's footsteps were heard running down the stairs and Ariel turned back to Eric, quickly kissing him once more.

"I love you!" Ariel called up the stairs to Eric. He smiled back at her and waved.

Eric rushed over to the balcony of his room, the best view to watch his ladies dive off into the waves. He quickly saw King Triton, who smiled at his son-in-law and waved. Eric grinned and waved back, bowing a bit as well. Triton laughed and shook his head as his granddaughter jumped into his arms.

"Grandfather!" Eric heard Melody call, her voice making him laugh for some unknown reason. He loved seeing her so happy and it seemed that the sea was one of the few things that could bring her joy.

Ariel followed closely behind her and Eric suddenly realized he hadn't told her he loved her. He hadn't told Melody that either.

"Have fun you two!" he called, the wind carrying his voice. "I love you both!" They both looked up at him and he saw the same grin plastered on both of their faces.

Melody was the first to be changed. The king pointed his trident at his granddaughter and before, all their eyes, she was lifted into the air in a glowing golden light. A spiral wind circled her legs and once it had gone, a bright red tail was in its place. The spiraling wind soon moved up to Melody's torso and transformed her cream-colored tank top into a pair of blue shells.

The first time Melody had been given the shells she was merely thirteen years old. Ariel hadn't been very happy upon seeing them but soon noticed that, much to her displeasure, her daughter needed them. However, Melody was now eighteen years old and the family had grown accustomed to the shells taking their place.

Once the golden light faded, Melody blew her father a kiss and dove into the waves, resurfacing not much later to see her mother go through the same process as she just had. Unlike her daughter, Ariel returned to the water with her green tail and purple shells.

Before leaving, Eric waved once more to his beloved daughter and wife and bowed to his father-in-law. The three waved back and ducked into the ocean depths, disappearing to a place only merpeople and fish knew of.

And deep down, Eric could feel that tiny pang of jealousy that he always felt when he said his goodbyes.


	2. Like a Son

Eric sighed heavily and rested his elbows on the railing of the balcony, missing the girls already.

Carlotta happened to be walking by at the moment, discussing with Grimsby what was going to be needed of her in the next couple of weeks.

While walking by, she noticed that Eric's door was open. She didn't think anything of it until she saw the king somberly staring out to sea, not realizing she was there. Carlotta frowned for seeing his royal highness so unhappy caused her a great deal of pain as well. She had always viewed him as a son, watching over his every move, making sure that Grimsby's pessimistic attitude didn't wear off on him. She pictured him as a toddler, his thick, black hair already taking control of his head. He refused to eat any of Louis' food and would only eat something that he knew Carlotta had made for him. To make sure she had made it, he would follow her around the kitchen, watching her dice onions or stir pots. Occasionally he would assist her by bringing the utensils she needed or helping her crack eggs into a bowl. Carlotta loved spending time with the young prince and after Eric's parents died, she sort of took him under her wing.

Eric sighed again and turned around, jumping a bit when he saw Carlotta in the doorway with Grimsby by her side.

"Go along now Grimsby." Carlotta shooed the man from the room and welcomed herself in, closing the door behind her. Eric smiled gently at the woman who had practically raised him, trying to wipe the worry off of her face. Unfortunately his plan failed.

Eric frowned again and sat down on his bed, placing his head in his hands. "I just miss them, Carlotta. And now with it being so close to Ariel and mine's anniversary, it just seems unfair."

Carlotta set down the pile of clothes she was holding and walked over to sit by Eric. Once she had made herself comfortable, she put a comforting hand on his knee. Eric turned to her and she smiled.

"Eric, I may not know much about the world that Ariel comes from," she began, "and I don't believe you do either. But Ariel knows everything there is to know about that world and Melody is quickly learning. If you ask me, it is a bit unfair that they leave you behind for so long and never invite you to come with them. But have you ever thought that you give off a vibe that says you don't want to go there?"

Eric took in what she said and ran his hand through his hair. "Ariel always talks about 'her world'… She knows my world, why can't I know hers? " The maid merely smiled.

"You've changed Eric," she said, patting his hand. "I recall knowing a boy, about eighteen or nineteen at the time, who, when asked why he was rowing out to sea, replied with, 'I've lost her once, Grim! I'm not going to lose her again!' That boy, a man actually, went to all costs to get the girl, to understand her. To love her." Eric's eyes widened, surprised that Carlotta had remembered that.

"Now, you seem to be… lazy!" Carlotta simply chuckled at the confused look on the king's face. "What I'm trying to say is, don't give up. In fact, why don't you surprise the girls? I'm sure King Triton wouldn't mind allowing you of all people into the sea if you told him your reasons why." Eric grinned and nodded his head.

"You know what, yeah, I think I will!" He stood up and hugged Carlotta, appreciative of every word that she had said. He kneeled on one knee and looked her in the eyes. "I love you, Carlotta. You've always been like a mother to me. I hope you know that."

Carlotta smiled back at Eric, picturing once again the handsome toddler running around the kitchen. Tears welled up in her eyes and she cupped her hand around Eric's chin. "I know that Eric. And you've always been like a son to me," she whispered. "Now, go surprise those two wonderful women of yours."


	3. The Islands

Eric carefully pulled away from shore with his ship, not having any idea how he was going to explain to Triton why he wanted to visit Atlantica.

Thoughts of him being a merman ran through his head. What color tail would he have? Would he have trouble walking again like Ariel did the first time he had met her? Would it even be possible for a man of no sea life descent to even be changed into one?

Eric shook his head of all thoughts. All except for the spot that Triton had introduced him to years ago. The memory suddenly flooded his head…

_"I'm trusting that you will take care of my daughter, Eric," Triton said, watching Ariel off in the distance as she played with Max and talked with Grimsby about wedding arrangements. _

_Eric smiled brightly at his bride-to-be in her sparkling purple dress and then turned to his future father-in-law. "Your Majesty, I promise, I will never do anything to hurt your daughter," he replied. "Listen, sir, if I ever hurt her I would never be able to forgive myself. I love her too much."_

_The king smiled at the man's words. _Maybe all humans aren't such terrible creatures…_ he thought to himself. _

_Silence crept its way between the two men until Triton suddenly remembered something he needed to tell Eric about._

_"Eric, I just remembered!" he exclaimed, nearly causing Eric to fall off of the rock he was sitting on. "I would like an open communication of some sort between myself and you and Ariel. In order to do this, I have ruled off a certain part of the ocean where merfolk and humans can meet for celebrations or just to be together, a place you and Ariel will own. I would be thrilled if you would accept this place to have the wedding ceremony." Eric grinned from ear to ear, and nodded his head yes._

_"But, sir, where is this place?" _

_The king chuckled. "You'll see."_

_When wedding preparations began, Eric told Ariel what her father had said and they agreed to have the wedding on Eric's ship. Ariel was ecstatic that humans and merpeople would both be able to attend the ceremony, but she feared where the "place" would be located._

_When the day of the wedding arrived, King Triton sent the dolphins that normally carried his carriage to bring Eric's ship to its destination point. Once there, everyone looked around and realized it was nothing but open ocean, nothing special at all. _

_However, at the end of the ceremony, when everyone was sound asleep in bed, King Triton called Ariel and Eric to him._

_"I know what you're thinking," he whispered, fearful of waking anyone else up, "but this truly is a spot that you cannot forget. Look." He pointed off into the distance to something that even Ariel could barely make out._

_"Father, I don't see anything," she mumbled, upset that her father would lie to her and Eric on their wedding day. Was he truly that much against them being together?_

_Triton laughed and put the trident into the water. In the distance, a series of islands popped up. Eric's jaw dropped in amazement and Ariel sighed, knowing she would miss such magical things. _

_"Those islands represent how much I care for you, both of you," the king explained. "They are there if you ever need me, my wedding gift to you. Just go onto one of the islands and tap on the water, just like this." He put his hand flat against the water and patted it like a dog, three times. _

_"If you do this, I'll be there as soon as I can. I need to be there for you. We are a family after all." With this, he winked at Eric as Ariel hugged him tightly._

_"Oh, Daddy!" she shrieked. "You're the greatest!"_

From then on, the islands had only been used twice. Once when Ariel had gotten homesick and needed to see her father and sisters again and also when the couple had told the king that he was going to be a grandfather.

Today, it was going to be used for a much different reason. A reason that no one of land or sea had ever truly thought of.

"Eric, are you completely sure about this?" Grimsby asked, cautious not to make Eric upset. They were approaching the islands and the king smiled happily.

"Grim, when have I ever been _wrong_ when I'm completely sure about something?"

"Well, when you were completely sure that you wanted to marry the sea witch." Grimsby smiled.

"Alright, you got me there," Eric laughed. "But there was the time that I was completely sure that a girl had saved me and that she had sung to me. And I was right. So it's a tie."

Eric pulled closely to the shore, making sure his crew would have enough room to pull out when they left as well as trying to avoid beaching the ship. When everything was completely stopped, Eric jumped off the side and landed in the sand. He smiled up at Grimsby.

"Why don't you stay until after the change?" he teased, the only laugh coming from his crew.

"Never thought the mate who didn't know 'bout King Triton would one day be 'is son-in-law!" one called out as he took the wheel. Eric stood up and wiped the sand off of his pants, beaming.

"Tell the queen and Princess Melody I said hello, would you dear boy?" Grimsby called as the ship pulled away.

Eric waved back and replied, "Anytime, Grim!"

Once the ship was gone in the distance, barely able to be made out, Eric sauntered to the water's edge. He swallowed hard, wondering if his decision was the right one.

Suddenly, a picture from back home popped up in his head. It was one of Ariel and Melody, both with their tails, lying out on the beach. Eric lay between them and he remembered that as soon as the picture was taken, they had slapped him in the face with their fins.

He laughed. "Payback time girls," he thought out loud as his hand patted the water three times.


	4. Eavesdropping

Melody sighed heavily as she combed her hair with a fork. She had picked up the habit from her mother and found that it worked through her tangled mess much better than any brush her father or mother had bought her.

_Father,_ Melody thought, floating out of the room through a nearby window and looking to the surface. Her mind began to wander about his whereabouts and what he could be doing at the moment.

Of everyone in her family, Melody found herself closest to her father. She never understood why either. Upon swimming back to her mirror, she examined her features. She shared the raven black hair with him, that was completely obvious. A piece of her said that her eyes came from her father, but then again they could be from her mother.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard King Triton and Ariel talking quietly outside of her room. Her mother sounded worried and the king himself spoke with a tone that Melody had never heard before.

"Daddy, are you sure that someone is on the island?" Ariel questioned with trepidation in her voice. Melody saw a flashing light from the hall and swam over next to the doorway, careful as not to be seen.

"Ariel, there's no doubt about it," came the older man's reply. "The trident is blinking and it only does this when someone has patted the water three times when they are on one of those islands. Who else knows about the islands?"

Ariel began to count on her fingers, stating out loud the names. "Well, there's myself, Eric, Melody, and…" Her voice trailed off when she lifted up her fourth finger and she trembled when she said the next name. "And Grimsby."

Triton looked at his daughter, hoping to get an answer out of her as to why a man he barely knew was informed of the island. Ariel saw the curiosity is her father's eyes and began to explain.

"He knows for one pure reason… Eric and I told him about the islands for the possible reason that if anything happened to Eric while Melody and I were away, he could come tell us about it." Her eyes shone with fear and her hands shook. "What if something has happened to Eric, daddy?"

Melody gasped at the thought of something happening to her father. Could it be true that something could have happened to him?

The princess slid down to the floor, pulling her tail close to her chin and silently began to weep while she continued listening to the conversation going on outside.

"Ariel, stay here. Make sure that everything in the kingdom is safe until I return," Triton went on. "Most importantly, try not to let Melody know until we know for sure if something has happened or not. I'm going to the surface to see what is going on." He kissed his daughter on the forehead and swam out of the castle.

Ariel turned around and started making her way back to the throne room of the palace while Melody made sure no one was watching. Once she was confident that the coast was clear, she set out and began following her grandfather. She feared what or who she might encounter on the surface but she was determined to find out anyways.


	5. No Pun Intended

Eric paced impatiently on the island, wondering if it was possible that the magic of the islands could have worn off. Either that or he was just becoming more and more impatient…

While pacing, Eric thought of Ariel and Melody. It seemed like just yesterday him and Ariel had met. Her sweet face had caught his eye, a face that he had remembered. The disappointment that had overcome him when he discovered that the mystery girl on the rock couldn't talk was indescribable, a sensation he wouldn't wish upon his worst enemy.

Next the image of Ariel in mermaid form in front of him for the first time popped into Eric's head. He chuckled to himself, remembering that discovering Ariel was a mermaid wasn't what had bothered him. It was more the terror that ran through his veins when he saw the girl he loved being taken from him into the ocean depths by an octopus. An octopus he had almost married…

Melody entered his thoughts after that. The first time he held her in his arms, he never wanted to let go. She had reached up for his face and grabbed his nose, almost a way of saying hello. Now, eighteen years later, she was practically a woman. The older she got, the faster time slipped away. She was going meeting suitors now and learning how to be a proper princess of the land and sea.

Eric smiled as he thought of his only child. She truly had proven to him that the love a parent had for their child was something that nothing else could ever replace.

His feet aching from walking, Eric sat down and threw his shoes off. He began to think of what he would say to King Triton to make his request seem rational. His stomach churned at the thought of the king's response and reaction to Eric's request.

He had never been invited to Atlantica and, while he had never asked why, he had always wondered. Maybe the truth lay within King Triton's uneasiness around humans. His discomfort was easily noticeable as well as understandable. Eric knew that if he ever lost his wife from a foreign force, he would be upset as well.

However, it had been twenty years since human and merfolk began interacting and it seemed as though Triton was more comfortable with humans than ever. Also, of all humans, Eric would be the last one to ever even think of hurting merpeople. So, why hadn't he been invited?

Then again, why hadn't he ever asked? If he had asked, Ariel surely would have put up a fight so that he would be allowed to visit Atlantica. Sure, things in the kingdom had been busy the past ten or so years but…

Suddenly, it occurred to Eric. He had never asked because he had been too busy. Too neglectful even, in spite of his own family. He had been so concerned about his work that he had forgotten to acknowledge and respect Ariel (Now also Melody's) world.

The knot in Eric's stomach tightened and he felt overwhelmed with guilt. He became aware of the fact that he could have shown Ariel, through not asking, that he didn't care. That the world of Atlantica, the wonderful sounding world below, didn't matter to him.

He hoped that after today, any of those feelings that she had would become obsolete.

* * *

Melody kept a respectable distance from her grandfather. She didn't know how to get to the islands from underneath the water as it was and if she turned back now, she most certainly would get lost trying to find her way home.

Triton was swimming fast and Melody could barely keep up. When the sea king made a quick stop, his granddaughter lost her distance trying to stop. Before she knew it, Melody had slammed into Triton's back, causing the merman to hastily spin around.

"Melody!" he cried out. "What on earth are you doing?" Sighing, the king shook his head. "You are exactly like your mother, do you know that?"

Melody hung her head and nodded. "Yes sir, I do…" She brought her gaze back to her grandfather with a pleading look on her face. "Please, grandfather, I heard you and mom talking about someone tapping the water at the islands. If something's wrong with dad, I want to be one of the first to know. Plus, I can't go back home; I don't know the way back!"

Triton looked into the girl's persuasive eyes and shook his head, in disbelief that he was allowing her to come along.

"Fine, Melody," he said. "But I am only saying yes because if I sent you home alone… Only Neptune knows what would happen." Melody smiled brightly and hugged Triton close to her.

Once they had parted, Triton looked to the surface and heaved a sigh. "Sweetheart, we may not like what we hear or see up there. However, you have to promise that no matter what, you won't swim away and get lost on me." Melody nodded diligently and flicked her tail, causing her to come to the surface. Triton soon followed and squinted towards the islands, the sun in his eyes.

"C'mon, let's get closer!" Melody leapt beneath the waves and swam until she could see the largest island from beneath the water. When she resurfaced, she saw her father marching back and forth while wringing his hands. Triton rose next to her and was perplexed by what he saw.

"At least we know that your father is alright but, Melody, have you ever seen him so nervous before?" Melody shook her head and continued to stare at Eric. An urgent desire to call out to Eric came over her.

"Dad!" Screaming over the ocean winds wasn't necessarily an easy thing to do but if anyone could do it, Melody was the girl for it.

Upon hearing his daughter's holler, Eric turned to see Melody merely a couple of dives away. His heart sank when he saw her because he knew that if Triton did grant him his wish, it wouldn't be a surprise for Melody.

"Melody, what are you doing here?" Melody swam closer into the shallowest part of the water she could get to.

"Is something wrong?" The alarm on his daughter's face confused Eric and he suddenly realized that coming to the island without warning had been a mistake. He brushed a piece of wet hair back into Melody's ponytail and smiled at her.

"Nothing is wrong, Mel," he answered. "I just need to talk to your grandfather. Would you please go under the water and wait?"

Melody's eyes shone with comprehension, and she grinned widely, hoping that what she thought her father was talking to King Triton about was true. She nodded and swam away, vanishing below the waves.

When he saw Melody go back under, Triton swam to the same place where she had just been floating.

"Eric, I'm so glad to see that you are alright!" the king bellowed, beaming at his healthy son-in-law. "However, I'm completely at a loss as to why you are here. What do you need Eric?"

Eric sighed and kneeled. "You're going to have to really hear me out here. As in, understand that I'm not joking or kidding in anyway. I'm not mocking you either. Can you do that for me, your highness?"

Triton nodded, still puzzled as to what Eric could possibly want from him. "Of course, but what is it that you're so serious about?"

Eric took a deep breath and looked straight into his father-in-law's eyes. "I want you to change… I want you to change me into a merman."


	6. Legends and Memories

Eric took an enormous leap into the ocean and kicked hard to get closer to the bottom. When he felt his air running out, he resurfaced and took in a deep breath, taking in his surroundings from the waters point of view.

King Triton, still near the island, chuckled at his son-in-law. "Eric, you can breathe under the water now, you understand that right? You don't have to hold your breath to go under, talking is something you can do, etcetera." Eric felt his face flush as he brought his hand to the back of his neck and began to rub it.

"Yeah, I, uh, I guess you're right… Must still be a force of habit then."

Triton swam next to Eric. "You jumped away so quickly that I didn't even have a chance to see the color of your tail!"

Eric realized that the man was right remembering that as soon as the golden light had disappeared, he had jumped into the waves. He himself had not even noticed what color his tail was.

He lifted the bottom part of his fin out of the water and was met with a cream colored, scaly object in his face. "Well, that answers the question. Kind of a dull color though, don't you think?"

The king didn't respond. His eyes weren't leaving Eric's tail as if barnacles were growing on it. "E-Eric, has Ariel ever told you that no one in Atlantica has a white tail?"

Eric put his new appendage back into the water and stared curiously at Triton. "Well, no sir. She hasn't told me much about Atlantica."

"Well, you see Eric, I ask you this bec-." Triton was cut off by the fact that his son-in-law was suddenly dragged underwater.

"Dad, c'mon! Wait until mom sees you! She's gonna _flip_!" Melody was propelling her tail as fast as she could, wanting nothing more than to get back to the palace. Her mother had the right to know that Eric was alright and also to know his reason for going to the islands.

Melody turned around and looked at her dad. "Are you gonna kick or wha-." She stopped immediately and felt her mouth fall open. "You have a white tail…" She let go of Eric's neck and turned all the way around.

Eric cracked his neck and ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah, and yours is red." Melody stayed silent and stared. "Maybe it matches my hair? Sort of like how your mother's red hair goes nicely with her green tail!"

Melody shook her head. "If that was the truth then wouldn't I have a white tail, or maybe an orange one? No, dad, this is something different… Mom or grandfather is gonna have to explain it because I don't know all of the details…"

Eric began to follow Melody back to Atlantica again, getting used to moving his tail. He pretended that his tail truly was both of his legs put together and each push down of the tail was one giant kick. This charade with his extension actually worked out in his favor and he eventually even caught up with Melody.

She was quiet though and Triton was as well. Eric kept looking at the two, wondering if one of them would say something or even fake it by opening their mouths. Someone needed to explain to him why him having a white tail was such a huge deal. Weren't tail colors just that; colors?

* * *

Ariel tapped her fin on the floor, stirring up dust around her while trying to rid of her anxiety. She still hadn't heard from her father or seen him come back and now she couldn't find Melody.

Taking a deep breath, Ariel tried to calm herself down by thinking that it was Eric on the island. What he could have wanted was a mystery to her but the thought of him being up there instead of Grimsby was a relief.

_Maybe he wanted to come visit Atlantica,_ Ariel thought, chuckling to herself. Of all places Eric would want to be, her home was the last of them.

She sighed blissfully at the idea of him coming to stay, even if it were only for a day or two. She had always wondered what Eric would look like in merman form and she had always given up, coming to the conclusion that she would never see her husband that way. He was too busy with the kingdom, deciding on what should be made laws and what shouldn't, trying his best to keep the towns people happy. In the past few years things had been particularly busy due to the flu epidemic that had broken out and he was still trying to get things with that sorted out.

Ariel frowned at the thought, remembering the tragedy that had struck the family during it. She still felt it was all her fault, even if it in fact wasn't.

When the flu broke out, Ariel had just found out she was pregnant. Eric and she were elated and Melody was overwhelmed with joy at the thought of there being another young person in the palace.

When nausea and vomiting commenced, Ariel viewed it as just being morning sickness and continued her duties as queen. However, after a couple of days of the relentless queasiness, Ariel spiked a fever and came down with the chills. When the doctor was called in, he became the bearer of bad news and divulged that Ariel had been infected with the virus that was taking out the country.

Carlotta and the kingdom's doctor were the only two allowed into Ariel's room during the week or two that she was ill. Eric and Melody could barely eat because they were so frightened by what disaster and anguish they knew the bug could bring.

Eventually, Ariel began to feel better and even returned to her responsibilities in the kingdom. However, one day while on a walk with Eric, Ariel began to feel cramps in her abdomen. The pain ultimately grew worse and before she knew it, Ariel was being informed that she had had a miscarriage.

The guilt and torment that she felt afterwards was too awful for words, feelings so strong that only someone who had suffered the same could feel. Depression controlled Ariel's thoughts, behavior, and actions for the next year and a half, a time that no one in the family would ever forget.

Even after five years and being essentially depression free for those five years, Ariel still didn't want to have another child. The mere thought of losing yet another unborn child was too much for Ariel to bear.

"Uhm, mom?" Melody appeared in the doorway, hands behind her back and a slight smile on her face. "I-I sorta followed grandfather to the islands and-."

"You what?" Ariel interrupted. "Melody, if anyone should have gone with your grandfather, it should have been me! I have been looking for you everywhere in the past hour; you had me worried sick!" She shook her head, more concerned about who or what was on the islands. "We'll discuss what you did later. First off though… W-who was up there, Melody?"

Melody's smile grew a bit bigger and she moved aside, allowing Eric to swim next to her. He grinned at Ariel.

Ariel's eyes took in only Eric's face in front of her and she swam to him, wrapping her arms around him and holding him close. "Oh Eric, I'm so glad you're alri-." She pulled away and looked at Eric again. This time, however, she noticed the white tail where his legs should have been and she gasped.

Eric did a twirl and beamed at his wife. "Well, what do you think?"

Ariel brought a hand to her mouth and shook her head again. "I can't believe the legend is coming true…"


	7. Return to the Grotto

King Triton eventually made his way to Ariel's room, wanting to be the first to tell her about the first signs of the legend starting to happen. He knew that she already knew though when he saw Melody floating in the doorway, watching some sort of scene play out.

"I can't believe the legend is coming true…" Ariel's voice was merely a whisper and she sounded more shocked than scared. Triton pushed his way past Melody and entered the room.

"Ariel, we have to warn the people." He spoke few words but they were full of alarm and Eric could sense that he was wrong about the colors being just colors.

"Would someone like to explain to me what the big dea-?" Triton abruptly grabbed Ariel by the arm and led her out of the room, completely ignoring Eric.

Feeling defeated, Eric groaned and swam over to the bed. Once he sat down, he placed his head in his hands. Coming to Atlantica had been a mistake…

Melody looked at her father and frowned, seeing the troubled look upon his face. He rarely ever just stared off into space, not unless he was thinking very hard. Slowly she made her way over and sat next to Eric, linking her arm through his and laying her head on his shoulder.

"Daddy, I'm sorry…" she sighed, trying her best to comfort him. "I would explain but, like I said, I don't know all of it… It confuses me, too."

Eric jumped, surprised to see Melody sitting next to him but pleased as well. He smiled at her and kissed her on the top of the head. "Mel, I understand. Your mother and King Triton have to tell the community about all of what's happening. Well, whatever it is that's happening…" He trailed off and looked at the wall in front of him. "You do think someone will eventually tell me what this whole legend business is, right?"

Melody swam in front of her father and vigorously nodded her head. "Of course someone will! In the meantime, how about I give you a tour of Atlantica? Even better, of this part of the ocean! Mom recently showed me something that I think will absolutely stun you!"

Eric eyed his daughter curiously, secretly nervous of what she had to show him. Before he had a chance to answer, Melody swam out of the room, towing him behind her.

* * *

"Sebastian!" King Triton bellowed. "I want you to round up everyone in the city and tell them to be in the meeting hall at half past seven!"

"Yes, your majesty," Sebastian replied. "But, sir, what is it dat is going on here? What is dis all about?"

Ariel swam over and whispered the answer to Sebastian's question in his ear. The crab gasped and brought both claws to his mouth, utterly shaken by the news.

"Dis cannot be true! Da story is just mere myth!"

Triton shook his head and sighed. "I know, Sebastian, but the town has a right to know. When my father had told me the story of what his father had told him, I didn't believe it either. But you and I both know it has happened before, twice in fact. It is bound to happen again! Now go!"

Sebastian bowed and promptly swam out of the room. Ariel began to bite her nails nervously and looked to her father for support, in which she found none.

_My Eric?_ Ariel thought to herself. _How could the legend even be linked to Eric? _

Ariel was snapped out of her thoughts when the sound of a blow horn caused the palace to shake. Bubbles popped around them and Ariel's sisters quickly came into the room.

"Daddy, why for the love of Neptune are you calling such an urgent meeting on a Saturday?" Aquata whined.

Triton looked at his girls with a heavy heart and grabbed his beard, pulling at it over and over again. "Girls, listen carefully, Eric has come to Atlantica for a visit and-."

The king's response was cut off by an uproar of squeals and gasps, all the girls thrilled that their brother-in-law was visiting them for a change.

Ariel glared at her sisters and felt her hands clench into fists. "Would you all be quiet and let our father finish his explanation please? It is more important than you know!"

However, before Triton could continue, the citizens of Atlantica began to gather in the hall. They buzzed about what the meeting could possibly be about considering that a meeting like this had not been called since when Melody had gone missing.

Sebastian swam up and panted, tired from the swim to the blow horn and back. "Your majesty, the kingdom has been called. How long before you would like to get started?"

Triton placed the trident into its holder and looked over at the forming crowd which seemed to be gathering much quicker than he had figured, much to his liking. "Another fifteen to twenty minutes, Sebastian. Thank you."

Once it had gotten to the point where the hall could hold no more people and the daughter's of Triton had lined up in age order, the king gave Sebastian the signal to call the meeting to order.

Sebastian nodded back and rang the bell behind him, causing everyone in the room to cut their conversations short and turn towards their king, eager to hear what he had to say.

Triton cleared his throat to stop any of the still going on conversations. Once he was sure that everyone was listening, he rose from his throne.

"Merfolk of Atlantica, welcome," he said kindly. "As you all can see, our Ariel has come back to visit her home and has brought some special people with her."

The crowd applauded Ariel's return and smiled warmly at her. She forced a smile back, noticing that Eric and Melody were nowhere to be found in the crowd.

"Ariel has brought Melody with her, like she always does," the king went on. "However, this time, Eric decided to come visit us." The assembly of people began to talk again, gossiping about the new news of the land king coming to visit them.

"But, you highness, he's a human!" A man cried out from the audience. "What if he has just come down here to harm us or you?"

Ariel sought out the man who had said the hurtful words and scowled at him. How could anyone think that the man who had accepted and married a mermaid, even had a child with one, would want to do such a thing?

Before she could speak her mind, her father spoke for her. "I am ashamed to hear that out of one of my own kind's mouths!" Triton hollered. "That shows that you doubt me and you think I would not keep our kingdom safe! Also, those words prove that you don't trust a man who is married to and is the father of a mermaid!"

The man shrunk back a bit and let his head fall to the ground. He remained silent and let the king continue his speech.

"As I was saying, Eric has come to visit us! It is a pleasant surprise but has also brought along a lot of concern from Ariel and myself. Now, most of us here have heard the legend, correct? The one that we all should have been taught in school from our teachers or at home from parents or grandparents?"

Some nodded while others mumbled things like, "Well, yes, of course" or "Yes, but what does this have to do with Eric?"

King Triton sighed and looked to his daughter for assistance. Ariel nodded and swam next to him, deciding to take matters into her own hands.

"Ladies and gentlemen, what my father is trying to say is that… What we all thought was just an old fish tale is true," she said, her voice a bit shaky. "Eric has… He has the white tail."

* * *

"C'mon, dad!" Melody called. "If you haven't gotten used to that tail yet you're never going to get used to it!"

Eric wheezed as he tried to catch up with his daughter. "How on Earth did you learn so fast?"

Melody flipped over and started to swim backwards. She grinned at her father and for a moment, he realized how much she looked like Ariel.

"Oh, please dad," she said nonchalantly. "It _is_ in my blood." Eric laughed and found something in him that caused him to catch up with her and even pass her.

"Then maybe you should give me a break," he replied, a smirk plastered on his face. Melody flipped back around, her eyes wide with shock. She soon passed him up, taking a big lead.

"Race ya' there!" she called back, her tail moving energetically. Eric shook his head and caught up with her.

"How would a race even be fair when I have no idea where I'm going?" he asked, thinking about the unfair advantage Melody had.

Melody grinned and sped ahead once again. "I just figured I would be in front of you most of the time anyways. That way you could just follow me."

Eric chuckled once more and began to follow his daughter to wherever it was that she was taking him.

* * *

"Ha! I told you I'd beat you here!" Melody swam into the grotto's entrance and sat down on one of the rocks, trying to catch her breath.

Eric sauntered in after her, having given up on the race a long time ago. "Mel, I wouldn't call it a win when the other person gives up."

Melody laughed as Eric took in his surroundings. The place was incredible, a secret underwater cave filled with shelves upon shelves of human items. He swam up to the top of the cave and saw a painting with a ledge full of books next to it. Upon swimming back down, he saw forks, spoons, knives, and even a pipe.

"What _is _this place?" he whispered. Melody smiled and swam over to her mother's collection of corkscrews and saw the face that sat next to them.

"It's mom's old grotto, where she would keep all of the 'treasures' she found from sunken ships." The teenager picked up the face and smiled at the sight of her father's appearance. "I thought you would like to see how obsessed with the human world she really was."

Melody looked at the statue piece and then to her father. Swimming up to him, she handed over the piece of rubble to its rightful owner. "And to show you how much she really loved you then. I know you knew that and all but, still, it's nice to know by proof."

Eric stared in awe at the sight of himself, and then looked at his daughter. "Does your mother know about this?"

Melody nodded. "She had the statue for a whopping two minutes until grandfather came in and blew it to smithereens. Then again, you had to go and make her fall in love with you."

Eric smiled and set the piece down on a nearby shelf. "Do you know the entire story or only certain parts?"

Melody smirked and snickered. "Well, of course I know the whole story. Oh, how romantic it was the way you two met, the way you jumped into the stormy waves so you would never lose her again." She placed a hand on her forehead and arched her back, hoping to get a dramatic look. "The story makes me cry every single time."

Eric laughed and opened his mouth to speak but was cut short by someone calling out to Melody.

"Melody? Is that you I hear in there?" The voice sounded like a young boy and when Eric looked to find Melody, he saw she was hiding behind the rock in the center of the cavern.

"Mel, what are you hiding from?" Eric questioned, swimming over to the girl's side. However, before she could explain, it was too late.

A shaggy, blonde haired boy with an algae green tail slowly swam into the room. He looked up and down, left and right until he made eye contact with Eric.

"Oh, I'm so sorry sir, I-." He suddenly realized who he was talking to and, quickly, he bowed.

"King Eric, I didn't realize that you were coming to visit A-Atlantica," he stuttered, his eyes narrowing in on the white tail. "I could have sworn I heard Melody in here no more than five minutes ago."

Eric abruptly realized that the boy was obviously some sort of crush of Melody's, whether he wanted to think that his daughter was falling for a merman or not. He knew Melody was hiding out of either nervousness or embarrassment that her father was there, so he chose not to blow her cover.

"No, she isn't here," he replied, wanting to learn more about the merboy. "What's your name son? I could tell her you were looking for her if you want."

The young man stuck out his hand and shook Eric's. "My name is Chase and if you could tell Melody I was looking for her that would be fantastic. It's been so long since she was last down here and I miss her a lot and-."

Chase stopped midsentence and looked at Eric, fear in his eyes. He was in disbelief that he had truly just said that to Melody's _dad_. His terror was relinquished when he saw the king of land smile and felt him pat him on the shoulder.

"I'll let her know," Eric said, giving a crooked grin. "But, then again, I have a feeling she already knows."

Chase beamed once more and hurriedly swam out of the grotto.

* * *

The crowd erupted in gasps and started talking, terror quickly spreading throughout the room. Murmurs about what the city was going to do as well as what their fate was were reaching every end of the room.

Triton couldn't handle the talking much longer and his anger spread to the trident, causing it to light up and ring loudly.

"Everyone, calm down!" he cried out. "There is one of two things we can do in this situation! As of now, Eric does not know what the legend is. If we keep him from not knowing, he won't know the things that he has to do for the legend to come true! On the other hand, if he _does_ know, he will know what to expect will go wrong and he can avoid them or help up conquer them." The citizens were now listening closely.

"Let's have a vote, shall we?"

* * *

"So how come you never told me about your little underwater fling?" Eric asked, teasing Melody about Chase.

She sighed angrily and kept quiet, swimming back to the palace. "It isn't a _fling_, dad. We aren't dating or anything. He's just a friend. That's it. Nothing more. Zilch, zip, nada. Besides, I don't have time for an underwater fling with all of the suitors you and mother insist on bringing to the castle."

Eric chuckled and shrugged. "Whatever you say, Mel, whatever you say. But, let me ask you this. If he's just a friend, then why did you hide from him?"

Melody felt her face flush and would have answered had they not arrived back at the castle at that exact moment. She led her father to the meeting room, knowing her mother and grandfather would not be happy that they had missed the meeting. Upon entering the room, she saw her grandfather was speaking and she put a finger to her lips, silently asking Eric to be quiet.

"Let's have a vote, shall we?" Triton said, his voice echoing throughout the room. It had become absolutely noiseless in the hall, so hushed that one could even hear a shell drop.

"All in favor of _not_ telling Eric about the legend please rise."

Eric felt his jaw drop. Not tell him about the legend? That wasn't fair at all. How was he supposed to know what kind of danger he was to the community if he wasn't informed?

He decided to get the sea king's attention, much to Melody's displeasure. When he started to rise higher than the rest of the residents, she grabbed his fin and pulled him to the floor.

"Are you out of your mind? If the people here see you, they will flip!" she whispered, looking around to make sure no one had seen him.

"Melody, let go of my fin. Don't you think I have the right to know about the legend?"

"Alright, that means only one hundred and twenty seven of you voted that we _shouldn't_ let Eric know," King Triton said after counting the risen merfolk multiple times with Sebastian and Ariel's help. "I suppose that leaves the rest of you wanting to tell Eric what the legend is?"

The crowd nodded, shouted out their pleas to have Eric know, and much more. Eric smiled and Melody let go of his fin, hoping that he wouldn't do anything stupid now.

"Great. Well, I see this meeting as finished. Go on your merry way and please, if you do see Eric, do not swim away or be afraid. Be polite; remember he is a guest. Meeting dismissed."

When the mob of mermaids and mermen turned around, Eric grabbed Melody's hand and swam above them, eager to avoid being trampled. He looked at Ariel at the same time she looked at him and grinned happily. He speedily made his way over to her and gave her a look that a child might give their parent when asking for candy.

"Well? When can I know?" he asked impatiently. Ariel smiled tiredly and pushed a lock of hair out of Eric's eye.

"We'll discuss it tomorrow, I promise," she replied, yawning. "As of now, I'm really tired and it's about time we all head to bed."

She swam over to Triton and kissed the half asleep king on the cheek. "Come on Melody. We've all got a big day tomorrow and we need our rest."

Eric felt like pouting, screaming, doing something that would make someone tell him now. Instead, he heaved a sigh and followed Ariel back to their room with his head hung.


	8. Nightmares

_Ariel hung tight to the side of the ship, watching and listening intently to the humans. The one with the black hair, playing with the short and hairy one, was the most handsome of them all. She couldn't find a way to tear her eyes off of him._

_An extremely skinny and gray haired man stepped in front of the handsome individual and smiled warmly. "Silence! Silence!" he called, getting the crew's attention. "It is now my honor and privilege to present our esteemed Prince Eric with a very special, very expensive, very large birthday present." The pride and joy that showed on the older one's face was indescribable and Ariel smiled at it._

_"Ah, Grimsby, ya' old beanpole, you shouldn't have!" the one deemed 'Prince Eric' said, grinning brightly. The smile cause Ariel's stomach to flip and she felt her cheeks getting warmer._

_"I know," Grimsby replied, eager for Eric's response to his gift. "Happy birthday, Eric!" _

_The tarp that was covering Eric's gift was pulled from it, revealing a statue that looked identical to the prince. The hairy one snarled at the sight of it and Eric's face turned sour._

_"Gee, Grim. It's, uhm, it's… It's really…something."_

_"Yes, I commissioned it myself. Of course, I had hoped it would be a wedding present, but…"_

_Eric huffed as the man trailed off and stood up. "Come on, Grim, don't start. Look, you're not still sore because I didn't fall for the princess of Glauerhaven, are you?"_

_The older person stood up taller and walked to Eric's side. "Oh, Eric, it isn't me alone. The entire kingdom wants to see you happily settled down with the right girl."_

_Eric looked out to sea and wandered to the other side of the deck. "Well, she's out there somewhere. I just… I just haven't found her yet." _

_Ariel's heart leapt at his words, even though she knew, deep down, that the chances of ever being with him were slim to none._

_"Well, perhaps you haven't been looking hard enough," Grimsby offered. Eric sighed again and sat on the edge of the boat, right above where Ariel was listening. She held her breath, fearing he might hear her._

_"Believe me Grim, when I find her, I'll know- without a doubt. It'll just- bam! - hit me. Like lightening!" _

_Off in the distance, Ariel heard the crackle of lightening and turned around just in time to see it. Winds around her started to pick up and on the ship she heard someone call, "Hurricane a'commin'! Stand fast! Secure the riggin'!"_

_Suddenly, the winds grew stronger and she was blown from the boat. She held tight to a rope on the side, not wanting to be thrown back into the water. Rain began to hit Ariel's face hard and she was torn from her grasp on the rope and tossed back into the water. Quickly, she made her way back to the surface and watched as Eric tried to steer his ship away from a fast coming rock._

_"Look out!" Eric, unable to maneuver the vessel away, ended up crashing it into the rock. All passengers on the ship are thrown overboard and hurriedly make their way to the rescue boat._

_Grimsby, looking around frantically, finally finds safety in Eric's hand and is pulled aboard the boat. _

_From the sinking and burning ship, barking is heard. Eric looks up to see Max is still on the ship. _

_"Max!" he calls out, diving into the water and starts making his way back to the boat. Ariel watches, her heart racing, wondering why he would want to go back._

_She watches as he climbs aboard and motions for the dog to jump to him. She senses his fear and panic but on the outside, he remains calm. _

_Once the dog jumps to him, he tosses him into the water, trapping himself on board. Ariel's eyes open wide in alarm as she watches the flames get bigger, engulfing the ship more and more. _

_"ERIC!" Grimsby cries out. But he finds himself too late as the ship explodes. Ariel covers her eyes with her forearm, the light of the explosion too bright for her._

_Hysterically she looks around for any sign or trace of Eric. A flash of white catches her eye as she sees him slowly slip off the board he is hanging on to. She grabs him and pulls him up, not wanting him to drown, and begins to bring him to the nearest stretch of land. _

_However, along the way, her arms start to burn. She can feel herself losing grip of the man and sees he is starting to sink lower, falling out of her grasp._

_Unexpectedly, Eric slips from Ariel's hold. When she dives under, she can't find him anywhere. She dreads the worst and to look everywhere for him. _

_Finally, she makes her way down to the darkest and worst part of the ocean, only to find her prince lying on a rock. _

_He is motionless, and clearly dead. Ariel can't believe her eyes and feels a stabbing pain in her chest. She buries her face into his abdomen and screams._

_Screams for the loss of him, the loss of the possible life they could have had together, and for the fact that it was her fault that he was gone…_

_She hears him calling her name in the distance. _

_"Ariel? Ariel!"_

"Ariel!" Eric shook his screaming wife, hoping it would wake her from whatever nightmare she was having.

Ariel jumped up, panting and crying at the same time. She hadn't had that dream in years, not since before she had gone to Ursula.

Quickly she turned to make sure Eric was sitting beside her. When she made eye contact with him, she threw her arms around his neck and sobbed.

"You're okay…" she mumbled into his neck. "I-I didn't lose you…"

Eric put his arms around Ariel, confused as to what she was talking about. He rubbed her back, trying to calm her down.

"Shh, yes, I'm fine," he whispered. "You're not going to lose me…"

Although she was enjoying the sound of his voice, Ariel continued to howl into Eric, fearing that she might not ever hear it again…

* * *

Ariel was quiet at breakfast and didn't eat anything. Eric tried offering her some of the things off of his plate but all she could do was shake her head no while she stared straight ahead of her.

Eric was beginning to get extremely worried and decided to confide in the sea king, hoping to obtain some answers.

After making sure he was awake, Eric swam to King Triton's room and knocked on the wall beside the entrance.

"Come in," he heard the king say, and slowly he entered the room.

"Good morning, your majesty," Eric said, bowing ever so slightly. "I was wondering if you could spare a moment of your time… It's about Ariel."

The king frowned at the mixture of Eric's concerned face and him saying it was about Ariel. He motioned for Eric to sit next to him and Eric did as he was told.

"What seems to be the problem?"

"Well, Ariel… Last night, right in the middle of the night, Ariel just started screaming," Eric began, trying to find the right words to say. "She woke me up and I realized that something was obviously wrong. So I shook her to try and wake her up. When she finally sat up, she was just… weeping uncontrollably. When she saw me, she said something about 'I didn't lose you' or something along those lines. I'm really worried about her because she won't tell me what's going on and she's not eating or anything…"

Triton sighed and shook his head. "You know, she used to do that when she was still living in the palace. Around the time she met you. One day, she woke up all happy. Humming to herself and all of that, placing a flower in my hair. That night, Attina woke me up to tell me that Ariel was sitting in her bed, screaming and crying in her sleep. She was mumbling something about a 'him' dying because she 'let go'."

Melody, who happened to be passing through the hallway at that moment, heard the conversation going on. Her heart started pounding and she swiftly entered the room.

"Mom had the dream again?" she asked. Eric and King Triton turned their heads to Melody, confused as to how she knew.

"You know about the dream Mel?" Eric questioned, concerned now not only about Ariel but his daughter as well.

Melody shook her head, fear spreading throughout her body. "This is _so_ not good, dad. _So _not good!" She felt her hands begin to tremble and she looked to her grandfather. "Mom had the dream here before she went to Ursula, right?"

Triton thought back and quickly nodded. "Well, yes, but what does that have to do with anything Melody?"

"I had the same dream before I went to Morgana. Well, it wasn't _exactly_ the same but it was a lot like it! I mean, I know that because I told mom all about the dream the night the wall came down, when we got home. She told me about having the same sort of dream when she was about sixteen."

Melody looked back to her father and made direct eye contact with him. "She dreamt about the night she saved you. Except, in the dream, she lost her grip of you and lost you to the sea. She was desperate for help, to see you again, and that's when she went to Ursula. In my dream, she lost me. But, I woke up in the sea, struggling for air and I couldn't make it back to the surface so, instead, I grew fins and became a mermaid." She motioned to her actual fin. "I wanted this badly and that's when I went to Morgana." She stopped for a second and took in a deep breath, fearing the reaction of what she was about to say next.

"All in all, that dream means one thing," she whispered. "There's another sea witch."

* * *

Down in the deep, dark depths of the ocean, a cackle escaped from a cave.

"So the youngster has it all figured out, doesn't she?" The raspy voice echoed throughout the cavern and caused the few prisoners to shiver.

Slowly, the octopus came out of its hiding place and settled down in front of the cauldron. A bubble floated above it, showing an image of a frightened Melody along with her grandfather and father. The creature allowed another laugh to escape its lips.

"Too bad she's got one thing wrong," it mumbled, slightly pleased that the fish had gotten one part of her story wrong. "I don't necessarily know if sea _witch_ is the correct term for a male."

Two jellyfish floated into the room, each ending up on either side of their master.

"Hello there," the octopus said, scratching the top part of both jellyfish. "I think we may have a chance coming soon. A chance to take back what rightly belongs to our family. Something that neither Ursula nor Morgana could do, bless their souls. They did try so hard but I believe that their big brother might be able to do things a little more efficiently."

He snickered as his eyes caught sight of Eric's tail, the color of it sending thoughts through his brain.

"Ah, yes, the white tail. This is _exactly_ what we need girls." The jellyfish spun in circles, overjoyed by the news.

"Yes, Atlantica and King Triton definitely have something to look forward to in the upcoming weeks. Their precious kings funeral."

As the jellyfish spun faster and higher, their owner threw his hands in the air and laughed manically, elated that his time for victory had finally come.


	9. Better Not to Know

Triton's eyes grew wider each time he heard Melody's voice in his head say, "There's another sea witch." Eric felt ready to pass out and instantly knew why all of this had happened.

"This is all my fault…" he proclaimed, speaking so soft it was a miracle that Melody heard him.

"No dad, it isn't," she replied, shocked that her father would even think such a thing. "Now we need to get mom to tell you what the legend is before the bad stuff starts to go down."

Triton shook his head of all thoughts and then nodded in agreement with Melody. "Come along Eric. We'll go find Ariel." Before they had left the room, Triton turned around to face Melody again.

"Find Chase," he told her. "Tell him I sent for him."

Melody watched her relatives leave her in a fit of confusion. What did Chase have to do with anything?

She decided to ponder the thought later or maybe even ask Chase about it.

She smiled thoughtfully as his name rang through her mind. Finding him was going to give him and her some time alone, even with the unpleasant issues they were about to deal with…

* * *

After searching for what felt like hours, Melody finally decided to give up. Chase was nowhere to be found in the palace and any hope she had of finding him had diminished.

On the outside, she seemed perfectly calm, cool, and collected. On the inside however, she was dying to see him.

Sure she had told her father that they were nothing more than just friends and that wasn't necessarily a lie. They were friends, and nothing more. It was the "nothing more" part that bugged her.

Upset that she hadn't been able to find Chase, Melody snuck off to her mother's grotto. It had become her hiding place, a place where she went when she wanted to be alone.

She wondered if her grandfather would be upset that she was leaving the castle at a time like this, or if her mother would be displeased that she was using the grotto as her "alone" place.

Getting lost in her thoughts, Melody started to not pay attention and, when turning into the grotto, ran into somebody.

"I am so sorry!" she said and suddenly noticed it was Chase. Her cheeks turned bright red and she giggled. "Chase, hi! Uhm, how are you?"

_Well that sounded dumb,_ she thought to herself, secretly wanting to beat her head against a wall.

"Melody, hey," Chase replied, happy that he had finally found who he had been looking for all day. "I'm great actually! I've been looking for you all day!"

"Well, that's ironic! I've been looking for you too!"

Both teenagers laughed uneasily, embarrassed and wondering what to say next.

"So, what are you doing here?" Melody finally asked, curious as to why Chase had come back to the cave.

"Oh, well, I uhm…" Chase stuttered to find the right words and finally, once he made eye contact with Melody, he said why he had truly come.

"I was hoping I would see you here." Melody felt her face flush again and her jaw fell open.

"Oh," she managed to utter. "Well, I, uhm, I'm glad I ran into you." Chase's face lit up a bit. "My grandfather is looking for you. It's an emergency."

Chase's grin faded and his face turned serious. "Melody, what's wrong?"

Melody sighed. "I think there's another sea witch. When I told grandfather and dad about it, grandfather told me to come get you."

Chase nodded and started to leave, knowing that when Triton called him, no time should be wasted.

Yet, the pained and confused look on Melody's face showed up in his mind every time he blinked. He needed to explain why it was that Triton needed him so he turned back.

When he got back to the grotto, he heard singing. A beautiful voice, not much unlike what he had heard from the daughter's of Triton.

"_Oh, the waves roll low and the waves roll high and so it goes. Under the bright blue, endless sky…_"

Melody trailed off, the sound of her late grandmother's song bouncing off of the walls around her and back into her ears. She felt tears well up in her eyes as she thought about the family member she never got to meet.

"Why are the tears coming now?" she thought out loud, upset that she had never cried over her grandmother before.

Chase slowly re-entered the grotto and saw Melody's back facing him. Her shoulders were shaking and she was allowing her bangs to fall into her face. He had heard her thought and had figured out a gentle but truthful reply to it.

"You're scared."

Melody jumped and turned to face Chase, surprised that he had come back. Quickly she fixed her bangs and wiped her eyes, hoping they weren't red. "W-what?"

Chase swam over to her and sat down next to her. "You're scared. We all are. I know I am. This whole legend coming true thing is scaring everyone. You just… You don't let down your guard often, if ever. Maybe singing the song put you over the edge, years of pain that you hid just coming to the surface now because we're in a time of crisis."

Melody stared at Chase, stunned at his words and how very true they were. She nodded, agreeing with him, and swallowed hard. "I-I guess you're right…"

Chase turned his gaze to her and smiled. "By the way, your singing is amazing. Even I got… What are those things your humans get? Bumps that look like a goose or something?"

Melody laughed at his explanation of goose bumps. "Goose bumps you mean?"

Chase grinned. "Yeah! Those!"

Melody chuckled again and brought her gaze to the floor. "Thanks for coming back…"

"Anytime. I was thinking on my way back about how I probably should explain to you why exactly your grandfather needs me."

Melody's grin faded and she looked at him again. "Yes, I really would like to know."

Chase frowned when he saw that Melody had and he sighed. "Well, you see, since King Triton had only daughters, he doesn't have a male heir to take over the throne. Not only that but none of the girls really want to take the throne and he didn't want one of his girls to have to deal with all of what he has dealt with over the years either.

"I happened to start working in the palace doing part time things such as being a waiter at dinners or doing things for the girls, your aunts. Basically, to sum up, your grandfather noticed how efficient I was and talked out some legal things with Sebastian."

Melody waited for Chase to finish but he said no more, not wanting to just blurt out what the king had planned for him. Just thinking about it made him nervous.

"Chase, I'm still confused. What legal things?"

"Melody… I'm next in line to take the throne."

* * *

Eric and Triton swam around the palace looking for Ariel and finally found her in her room. She was sitting in front of her mirror staring straight ahead, barely noticing that the two men had entered the room.

"Ariel," Triton said, getting her attention. "I have business to take care of. I know that you aren't really that up to it but you have to tell Eric. Now." With a stern look, the sea king left the room.

Eric went over and sat and on the bed, looking at Ariel's reflection in the glass. "Ariel, I have to know. Melody told us about your dream and hers. She thinks that you having this dream means there's another sea witch."

Ariel didn't respond or move. She didn't even seem to be breathing. Eric swam over and sat next to her. When she still didn't react, he grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around to face him.

"Damnit Ariel! You can't just keep acting like nothing is happening! The hell with the dream for now! I'm here and I'm safe! Melody is safe too! But if you want all of us to _continue_ being safe, you're going to have to tell me what the hell this damn legend is!" With his final words, Eric shook her a bit, trying to get some sense into her.

Ariel's jaw dropped slightly in shock and she felt all of the muscles in her body tense. The pain on her shoulders seemed to be growing stronger from Eric's force and the look on his face was one that she hadn't seen before.

He had never yelled at her like this or treated her this way before. She couldn't tell what he was going to do next, hit her or let her go. She shook her head in disbelief and recoiled from his grasp, moving away. As she moved, she continued to shake her head.

Eric realized what he had done and began to panic. The anger left his face and remorse took its place. He sat up from the chair and moved over to Ariel. Upon seeing his movement, she backed away some more.

Eric sighed, knowing that trying to get anything out of her now or even apologizing was hopeless. Instead, he turned and swam over to the bed that he and Ariel had shared the night before.

* * *

"W-what!" Melody couldn't believe her ears. "B-but I thought Aunt Attina was supposed to take the throne." Images of her aunts played out in her head and she began to recall that none of them had ever gotten married or, if they had, they had chosen to turn down the throne. They all wanted to spend more time with their family rather than rule a country. Just like Chase had said.

Chase shook his head. "Nope, they all turned it down. Either way, Triton didn't want one of his daughters to deal with this. Had he had a son, he would have taken the job. But he didn't. Didn't I mention all of this before?" Chase swam up a ways, trying to clear his mind of taking the throne.

"Yes you did mention it I just… I'm shocked is all," Melody replied. Chase remained quiet and seemed to ignore Melody.

"But doesn't the person who's next in line need a princess? Or a queen?" Melody asked, looking up at him from the bottom.

Chase closed the book he had been looking at and put it back on the shelf. "Yeah, I thought the same…" He sunk back down to the bottom near Melody and laid his head in her lap.

"What does grandfather say?" she questioned, a blush creeping into her cheeks.

Chase shrugged. "Says I've gotta start meeting princesses soon. He's hoping that I'll like one of them."

Chase sighed inwardly. Meeting a princess wasn't really something he wanted to do. In all reality, he had found the only princess he thought he would ever need; the raven haired beauty that was looking down at him now.

"Oh," Melody whispered, hurt at his words. "I-I hope you if you do find someone that you're uhm, happy…"

Chase sat up and looked at Melody, one eyebrow cocked and a smile playing on his lips. "Melody, you don't get it, do you?"

She stared back at him, perplexed. "I don't understand what you're saying… I just said I hope that you're happy. I mean, ruling an entire country is going to be hard enough. Having to rule it with someone you don't really love or are miserable with, well, that just seems unbearable."

Melody's bangs then fell into her face and she tried to blow them out of her eyes, failing horribly. They seemed to like to fall the same way they did on land but fixing them underwater was a bit harder than on land.

Chase half-grinned and tucked her bangs behind her ear. "There," he said. "Better?"

Melody, too nervous to say another word, merely nodded and smiled a bit. "Thanks," she managed.

Silence fell over them as they both tried to think of something to say. Melody finally broke the quiet.

"What did you mean when you said that I don't get it?" she questioned, still curious towards what his statement had meant.

Chase laughed and put his arms around his tail, pulling it to him. "I meant that… You don't get it. I don't _want_ to marry some princess from a place I've never heard of. I mean, I don't want to get married at all. Not anytime soon that is…"

Fear took over Chase's features and Melody was quick to notice.

"You don't want to rule anytime soon either, do you?"

Chase shook his head no, his stare not leaving the ground. Melody went over to him and patted his shoulder. He looked up at her touch and saw her grinning at him. He couldn't help but smile back.

"My grandfather picked you for a reason," she said, trying to calm the boy down. "I can promise you that. You're going to be a fantastic ruler and I want you to know that, if you would like, I could stay down here or come here more often. To help out."

Chase couldn't help himself anymore. Her words, even so few of them, had meant so much to him and he had to show her in some way the impact they had had on him.

He let go of his tail and kneeled like she was. Slowly, he moved his face a bit closer to hers, waiting to see what she would do.

She, in turn, looked down at the ground and bit her lip. Chase grinned a bit and grabbed her chin, pulling her gaze back to meet his.

"What I meant by 'You don't get it' is that I don't need to look anymore. I've already found the princess I need."

With those words, he closed the gap between them and pulled their lips together. Melody's eyes went wide in shock but soon she closed them and put her arms around his neck. She smiled a bit to herself and felt Chase smile back.

The kiss they shared was something that both had been waiting for a long, long time for.

* * *

Ariel had finally calmed down after an hour of flinching whenever Eric merely sighed. She had come to the realization that Eric had had the right to blow up on her. He was in a strange environment and had to worry about hurting her people, his family, or even himself. It wasn't fair for her to not help him because of the dream. In fact, it was selfish.

Silently she swam over to her husband's side. His lips were slightly parted as he slept and the lines of worry on his face weren't there. Indeed there seemed to be a slight smile lingering on his lips, like he was dreaming of something nice.

She grinned to herself and gently stroked his face. He did nothing but flinch a bit but she wanted to wake him up.

"_What would I give to live where you are? What would I pay to stay here beside you? What would I do to see you smiling at me?_"

Eric stirred and opened his eyes to see Ariel smiling at him and hear her singing. It was the song she had sung to him the day she had saved him. He grinned back at her tiredly and touched her hand that was still on his face.

"What would you do to see me smiling at you?" he asked playfully and she pinched his cheek a bit.

However, she frowned then and drew back her hand. "I would tell you the legend. I _will_ tell you the legend."

Eric looked at her, shocked. He had figured he would just turn to Triton to hear the story or give up on hearing it at all. "Ariel, are you sure? I mean, I can always go to your father or get the gist of the story from Mel."

She nodded her head to say she was sure and lay down next to him. Instinctively he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him, enjoying feeling her warmth against his.

"It all started when my grandfather, Poseidon, was in power."

"Wait, hold the phone, your grandfather was _Poseidon_?" Eric shrieked, unable to accept the fact that the myths were true.

Ariel looked at him and smiled slyly. "Uhm, yes. Melody is learning about Greek mythology in school and even she knew that daddy's father was Poseidon. Now can I finish the story?"

"Alright, alright! Go on!"

"Of all people to interrupt… Anyways, when he was ruling, there was a newcomer who came along. No one knew where he was from but all were surprised by him. He had a white tail like no one had ever seen before. Atlantica was a colorful place but the man explained that where he came from, everyone had the bland white tail.

"Now, the man never explained where he had come from. He just sort of… appeared. And with him, he brought a series of events. First off, Poseidon became very unhappy around the time the new man fell in love with one of his daughter's. Eventually, he got used to the idea and the two were married. A couple of years down the line they had a child of their own."

Eric chuckled to himself. "Doesn't that sound oh too familiar?"

Ariel smiled into Eric's chest. "Yes, yes it does. After that, the dreaded ex ruler of the seas came to Atlantica. He claimed that it was he who should own the trident and rule the seas. To get what he wanted, he took the two things that mattered most to the newcomer: His wife and his daughter."

Eric's eyes widened at her words and he stopped breathing for a second. If this legend were to come true, was it possible that he might lose Ariel and Melody?

Ariel noticed Eric's reaction but continued with the story anyways. "Poseidon was not pleased with what was happening and soon called my father, Triton, and his other sons together. He wanted to take back the girls and get the kingdom back in order.

"However, the new member of the community was already about to take matters into his own hands. There was no way he was going to let this… this evil man or creature take his wife and child. He set out on his own to get them back. Poseidon and his sons caught up with him and together fought the feared monster, taking back the trident and rule of Atlantica.

"Yet, in the battle, my grandfather was lost. Daddy was the only son of the sea and took the throne. The white tailed man also lost his wife and child for the creature had…" Ariel gulped. "He had fed them to his minions. Afterwards, he begged for death from daddy and was granted his wish.

"After the battle, a voice was heard from the skies. Some believe it was Zeus or even Cronus himself. All they know is that he said one thing:

"'This atrocity is not the first time this will happen nor is it the last. The white tailed merman from an unknown land will come back again and these same events will take place. All beware!'"

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so, I edited the story. Went through and checked stuff and changed Melody and Chase's ages. They were originally thirteen and fourteen. Now Melody is eighteen and Chase is nineteen. As for the outburst thing with Eric... I wanted to show his frustration because of being denied knowing what the legend was for so long. I wanted to show it through a way no one ever really expected. Plus, things aren't gonna be Disney like in the story. R&R! **


	10. Surrounded

Melody was the first to pull away and Chase reluctantly let their lips part. Silence fell over them as they tried to regain their breath and smiled awkwardly at each other. Chase was the one to finally speak.

"Wow…" he mumbled. His eyes were unable to be torn from Melody's. She grinned at him a bit and blushed.

"Agreed."

Melody sat back and pulled her hair out of her ponytail, hoping to fix the tangles in it that Chase had caused.

At the sight of her hair down, Chase felt his jaw drop. He had never seen her hair down before and he suddenly felt he never wanted to see it any other way.

"Wait!" he said, catching her wrist before she put her hair back up. "Keep it down; it looks prettier."

Melody stared back at him and quickly remembered he was supposed to have been back at the castle ages ago.

"What?" Chase asked, noticing Melody's gaze.

"Grandfather!" she replied. "He needed you back at the palace forever ago!"

Chase realized she was right and moved his hand from her wrist to her hand. With one tug, he pulled her up and began swimming. In the midst of being torn from the ground, Melody dropped her hair band and abruptly intertwined her fingers with his. When he turned around to look at her, she gave him a slight grin. He sheepishly smiled back and squeezed her hand a bit.

* * *

"Ariel, how is that a legend? To me it seems like just a story!"

Eric sat up, puzzled about the story his wife had just told him and why the community believed it would happen again. Sure he had a white tail and there was the possibility of another sea witch, but Ariel was still sitting next to him and Melody was out trying to find Chase.

"Eric, the legend of the story is the voices heard from above," Ariel explained, sitting up as well. "No one is positive if those words are true or not! And the white tail is more of a symbolic thing. It represents new beginnings, death, fighting, and love."

Eric turned his head towards Ariel and caught her eyes. His stomach gave a little flip like it had the first time he had seen her. He sighed and ran his hand through her hair. She caught his hand in hers and smiled at him.

"I know you don't want to accept it but you have to. We have to. Daddy has and he's prepared for it." Ariel's gaze fell to the floor at the mention of her father. The idea of losing him was unbearable and knowing that he knew he wasn't going to be there for the family much longer made matters even worse.

Eric sighed and shook his head. "You're right…"

Ariel lay back on Eric's shoulder. They were quiet for awhile until Ariel finally realized that Melody had been gone for an awfully long time.

"Eric, I'm going to go find Melody. Could you go to father please?" Eric nodded and swam out of the room with Ariel.

Before she turned to move down the hallway, he grabbed her wrist and hugged her to him, not wanting to let go. He took in the scent of her hair, the feel of her skin, the strength of her grip around his neck. When he let her go, he placed a small kiss on her lips and whispered into her ear, "I love you."

She told him she loved him as well and swam off. Something in the pit of Eric's stomach told him that she needed to be told that for it might be a while before he saw her again.

* * *

Ariel swam out into the open waters and started to get farther away from the castle. She figured Melody was in the grotto and, if she wasn't, they might meet up along the way.

However, Ariel started getting worried when she had made her way to the grotto and hadn't seen Melody the entire swim there.

"Melody?" Ariel called as she entered the grotto. However, any sort of reply would have been cut off by Ariel's screams.

Tentacles covered her ears and her mouth. When she moved, it stung and she couldn't help but shout more.

_Jellyfish_, she thought, noticing the how the free tentacles flowed so loosely. _But why here, why now?_

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Princess Ariel, come to visit her home under the sea."

From the top of the grotto, Ariel saw more tentacles appear. However, these weren't pink and flowing like the ones that were stuck on her. These were thick, dark ones with suckers on the bottom. Those that belonged to a creature that had once taken Ariel's voice and also given Melody fins. Tentacles that belonged to an octopus. Tentacles that were wrapped tightly around Melody.

"Yes, you see, I thought I'd play a little game," the creature hissed. "I saw that the mysterious white tailed merman had come back into town and I simply could not resist. I suppose I'm just following the legend." A grin spread on the octopus's face as he stroked Melody's free hovering hair with an open limb.

_Cerberus!_ Ariel thought. _I could have sworn daddy made sure he was dead after Morgana! _

"Ah, but your father was wrong, dear," Cerberus said, chuckling at Ariel's shocked expression. "After he thought I was dead, I hid. And I grew stronger. My magic grew stronger. I can read your every thought, dear Ariel. I can read your daughter's every thought. I can read Eric, Sebastian, and even Triton's every thought as well. And I can, well, to put it simply, kill you." He reached out and took her from his minion's grasp.

Melody quickly maneuvered her mouth out of Cerberus's hold. "What have you done with Chase, you monster?"

The snippy question didn't suit the octopus well and he threw her into the clutches of his awaiting partners who proceeded to shock her, tossing her back and forth like a volley ball.

"Melody! No!" Ariel couldn't stand to see her daughter hurt and was even more concerned when she saw Melody's body go limp. "How can you do this to an innocent eighteen year old?"

"Easily, watch." Ariel's head was forced to stare and not move away from the sight of her unconscious daughter being bounced around. "See? It isn't _that_ hard."

The jellyfish soon became bored of the girl gone ragdoll and let her drop to the floor. Ariel squirmed, pulled, and pushed with all her might to get to her daughter but Cerberus's grip was too strong.

"You take the red head," he said, passing Ariel off to his followers. "I'll take the weaker one. She'd be too heavy for you to carry alone." A horrible snicker escaped his lips as he began to float out of the grotto.

_Eric, please_, Ariel thought. _You know the legend and are a bigger part of it than anyone here. Please sense something is wrong, please get help._

She felt the shocks starting to affect her and before she knew it, everything was black.

* * *

"Sebastian, I just don't get it. I sent for Chase hours ago and he hasn't returned yet."

Sebastian sat loyally at the king's side, unsure of how to respond. He had a bad feeling in his little crab heart that something wasn't right. Eric had just mentioned practically the same thing to him about Ariel and Melody not more than ten minutes ago.

"Your Majesty, if I may, I believe dat someting must have gone wrong out dere!" Sebastian said, worry a genuine part of his voice. "Chase would never be dis late for someting dis important and you know dat! Eric just told me dat Ariel left an hour ago to find Melody and neider of dem have come back, sir."

Triton grabbed the trident and rose from his throne, knowing in his heart what was happening. "Round up the strongest guards in Atlantica and send out a search party for Chase."

"But, your majesty, aren't you going to stay here in da palace?"

The sea king shook his head. He knew his fate and he knew what he had to do. "I have to fight to get my daughter and granddaughter back. Make sure that Chase is prepared for battle. I have a feeling I know where Eric is."

* * *

Eric was swimming as fast as he could. Where he didn't know but he felt as if a map had suddenly been placed in his brain.

It had been an hour since Ariel had left to get their daughter and she wasn't home. Something in the pit of his stomach told him that whatever she had done had gone wrong. He felt it was his duty to go out and scour the darkest parts of the ocean for her and Melody.

"_He had fed them to his minions…_" Ariel's words rang clear in Eric's head and gave him an extra burst of energy. He sped off faster into the darkness. The water around him grew colder but Eric didn't seem to notice.

As he reached a cave where smoke was billowing out from the entrance and evil laughter was heard from inside, Eric knew he had reached his destination.

Whatever was inside the cave was about to get something it never saw coming.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry this took me so long to update! I had a story idea and I was writing that and then I started school. It has been CRAZINESS. Just R&R and give some suggestions for the next chapter!**


	11. The Start of the End

"Wake up, boy!" Sebastian poked the unconscious Chase who had landed on the bottom of the ocean after being shocked multiple times by a terrible duo of jellyfish. His memory was blurred with visions of the two, the cackling of some octopus creature and, worst of all, the sound of Melody's terrified screams.

Bolting upright, Chase immediately regretted his decision to do so. He groaned and held his head as the blood rushed from it to the rest of his body. "Se-Sebastian?"

The crab sighed in relief to see the young merman alive and nodded. "It's me, boy. Now c'mon, we've gotta go! Da sea king is preparing for battle and needs your help, man!"

Chase opened his eyes to Sebastian sitting in his lap. "Battle?" His heart started to race. "Where is Melody?"

Sebastian looked at him strangely, unaware as most others were about the growing relationship between the princess and the future ruler. "No one's sure, Chase. King Triton is preparing to find King Eric as we speak."

Chase's eyes grew twice their size and he began to shake his head uncontrollably. "No, no…" he said. "I could have saved her!" Before Sebastian could respond, Chase began to swim at full speed back to the castle.

"C'mon, Sebastian! Clamp onto my tail!" Sebastian hurriedly did as he was told and the two were off to receive their orders from the king.

* * *

Melody's eyes fluttered open only to be greeted with nothing but pitch blackness. She was certain she was awake because she could hear the same maniacal laughter in the distance that she had heard right before she had passed out.

Sitting up, Melody felt restraints clasped around her wrists. Seaweed was tied tightly around them and seemed to be glowing. Assuming that there was something magical on the plant that kept it from breaking, Melody soon gave up her struggle to release herself. She sighed heavily, knowing that this could quite possibly be the end. If the legend really was coming true (And by everything that was happening it certainly did seem to be), she and her mother would die in battle along with her grandfather. Soon afterwards her father would ask for death from Chase, the one to take over the kingdom, and the rest would be history.

_Yeah, and Chase will marry some gorgeous princess from some other mer-city and never think about me again…_ Melody thought somberly, leaning her head against a wall. Would he even come and try to save her? Would he even remember the chaos that was going on? When he had fallen unconscious, his head seemed to hit the ocean floor quite hard. It was highly plausible that his memory could have been knocked out of him from the blow…

Trying to rid her thoughts of Chase, Melody looked around the room. Her eyes had fully adjusted to the darkness and she noticed her mother, tied with the same bondage as herself, lying peacefully against the wall across the room. She still hadn't woken up and Melody began to wonder just how long they had actually been in this prison cell.

Before she could come up with an answer, she heard the crunching of what sounded like rocks moving to the left of her. Light slowly began to creep its way into the room, causing Melody to squint her eyes at the bright new sight. Once the door was finally open, Cerberus entered with his genuine smirk glued onto his face.

"If you _must_ know how long you've been here princess, it has only been a few hours," he said, replying to her thoughts. "And I must say I didn't know how easy it was to lure your family here. I heard through the coral-vine that your father is quickly approaching my cave and your grandfather and precious lover are on their way as well."

Melody narrowed her eyes at the creature and, had she not been underwater, would have attempted to spit in his direction. "You make me _sick_," she hissed. "And to correct your stupid remark, it isn't 'coral-vine', it's 'grape-vine.' At least try to make my last few moments a little bearable to hear, okay?"

The octopus nearly smothered the girl to death right there but knew he'd rather wait for her father to arrive or at least for her mother to wake up so that one of them could watch the light fade from their daughter's eyes. "Tut tut, princess. You really shouldn't speak to your elders with such a tongue."

"I believe my daughter can speak however she pleases, thank you very much. Especially when it's to someone who's going to kill her in a matter of moments." Eric was right behind Cerberus, his hands clenched into fists at his side and a look of rage in his eyes that Melody had never seen before. Melody turned her eyes towards her mother, urging her to wake up, even if she were half way across the room.

Ariel seemed to hear Melody's mental commands and awoke with a start. Her eyes focused quickly onto her husband and she opened her mouth to say his name.

Nothing but bubbles came out.

* * *

Upon reaching the castle, Chase stopped so promptly that Sebastian went flying from his tail and almost crashed into a nearby wall. Chase ignored the matter and looked to King Triton, ready for anything the man threw his way.

"Chase!" Triton called, quite relieved to see the boy but also even more worried to see that his granddaughter wasn't with him. "Where have you been the past few hours?"

"Well, sir, you see-." Chase was cut off by Triton's hand. He hurriedly snapped his mouth shut and once again stood in attention. He felt slightly relieved that he didn't have to explain to the king that the reason he was late was because he was too busy locking lips with Melody.

Triton grabbed hold of his trident and sat up from his throne. "Sebastian, have all the guards and soldiers been gathered?" The crab nodded. "Good… I need them to stay here and watch the palace. I don't want them coming with; it's too dangerous. The people of Atlantica need to all gather in the throne room as well. The more people together there are the better it will be. Chase, I'm leaving you in charge. If I need you for anything, this will start to glow." The sea king handed Chase a necklace with a miniature trident dangling from it.

As Chase took it and all the fear and trepidation he had felt earlier at the thought of taking over Atlantica left him. He felt strong, powerful, and confident as he slipped it over his head. Whether it was some sort of vibe the necklace was giving off or that he knew he was helping to somehow get Melody and her parents home safely, Chase knew it didn't matter.

As Triton set off the leave the palace and Sebastian hurried off to blow the horn to call the town together, Chase caught up with Triton. "Excuse me, sir?" The king turned around, hoping that whatever the boy had to say was important. "Yes?"

Chase's eyes burned with determination and hope. "Please need me. I want to fight."

Triton could only smile at Chase's words. They reminded him so much of himself when his father had gone off to fight the same battle he was leaving to do now. "Of course, Chase, but right now I need the citizens to become accustomed and comfortable with you. Keep them calm and I'll let you know at once when to come find me." With that, he turned around and left to find his family.

Chase swam back over to the throne and looked at it nervously. In the distance he heard the sound of Sebastian using the horn to call the town together. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath, wondering how the public would react to seeing a nineteen year old sitting in the chair that was normally taken by their king. Yet he also knew that it didn't matter for he was just taking orders.

Quietly, he sat down and immediately felt at ease. He stared ahead at the doorway to the room, waiting for the merpeople of Atlantica to begin entering. He grabbed a hold of the mini trident dangling from his neck, still looking ahead.

_Melody,_ he thought as his fingers played with the charm. _I am so, so sorry… I should have fought them off harder or grabbed you and swam away faster… When you get back, slap me._

Chase smiled at his last thought and released the necklace. For some reason he knew that just by holding that and saying those words that Melody would hear him, wherever she was. He also knew that she would stick to what he had told her to do and eagerly slap him when she got back. He just hoped she wouldn't hold it against him for grabbing her tight and kissing her once again after she did so.

* * *

"Mo-Mom?" Melody whispered, in disbelief that her mother could not speak. Eric felt his heart sink and couldn't help but remember the first time he had met Ariel.

Gently touching her hand to her throat, Ariel knew exactly what had happened. Cerberus had taken her voice away just as his sister Ursula had done so many years before. Yet this time she wasn't getting anything in return for it. This time it was just for the fun of its current owner.

"Oh, dear Ariel, please don't be upset," Cerberus chuckled. "I just thought I'd bring back what my sister had done to you. Give you some time to relish those memories." He turned his attention towards Melody. "As for you, I figured Morgana wouldn't like to see me forget about what she had done to you, so I gave you a little bit of a change. In about fifteen minutes, you'll have your wonderful legs back. This time, though, no one will be able to save you. Not even your precious parents." With that, he reached forward with one tentacle and grabbed Ariel while another appendage released her seaweed handcuffs. He pulled Ariel from the room and grinned evilly at Melody as he shut the door behind her and sealed it with a charm that made it look like just another part of the cavern wall.

Eric had begun to go through to the back of the cave where Cerberus stayed, looking for something to harm the octopus with. All he found was some old potions, ingredients, and two extremely livid looking jellyfish. They began to swirl their way towards him, tentacles flailing in a threatening fashion. Nothing surrounding him could harm the creatures in anyway and Eric soon felt the ominous force of Cerberus behind him. He shut his eyes, ready for the worst to come.

Suddenly, a shot of blinding white light shot past Eric, nearly touching his skin. The two twirling jellyfish were blown to smithereens, leaving only smoke in their presence. Eric spun around, now face to face with a horrified and enraged Cerberus who was crushing essentially every single one of Ariel's fragile figure's bones. Behind the stunned octopus was Eric's father-in-law, fury engulfing his eyes. The trident was still pointed in the direction of where the jellyfish had once been.

Ariel's throat was burning with the tears that she was holding back. She had just heard a crack in her side and felt the searing pain rush through her entire body, taking over every vein and muscle. Even if she had a voice, the scream that she would have emitted from the pain would have been muffled by the tentacle wrapped around her mouth. Instead, Ariel dealt with the pain coursing through her by biting down remorselessly on Cerberus's member. He proceeded to cry out in anguish and released Ariel, much to his displeasure. He lunged to snatch the girl up once more but only grabbed water as Eric had swum at full speed towards his wife, pushing the both of them to the other side of the enemy.

Triton looked around the room. "Where's Melody?" Ariel jutted a finger towards the seemingly door-less side of the cave that she and Melody had been trapped in not moments before.

Cerberus flipped around, his breath coming in ragged pants. "You killed my pets, you-!" His sentence was cut short by another bolt of lightning like power coming from the trident. He managed to move out of the way hastily, his temper and rage giving him more than enough adrenaline. Triton gripped onto the trident and spun it to the left once, sending out the call for help to Chase.

"Eric, get Ariel out of here and go back to find Chase!" Triton bellowed. "I need him to get Melody out of here!"

Ariel turned to Eric and shook her head frantically. She kissed his cheek and left by herself to find Chase, hoping that Eric could manage to find a way to save Melody before it was ultimately too late. _Daddy can hold Cerberus off long enough on his own. Grandfather did, at least,_ she thought, ignoring the aching from her broken rib and continued flicking her tail faster than ever before.

* * *

Chase sat back down in the throne after having explained to the community, with Sebastian's help, why he was filling in for Triton and what this all meant. After a brief moment of panic, he had yelled so loudly for everyone to calm down that some still wouldn't look at him.

As he sat down, he felt a vibration on his chest and looked down to see that the trident was glowing. Suddenly, the chain of the necklace disappeared. Chase dove to catch it and as he did, the necklace charm grew to a full size trident like the one King Triton himself had.

Chase could only beam happily at the object for a matter of minutes before he started off without a word to anyone.

_I'm coming Mel…_

* * *

Melody screamed towards the wall where the door had been. On the outside she was still looking somewhat calm, just like a regular person crying for help in a not so dire situation. On the inside, however, she was terrified. Her heart was pounding, her stomach was in knots like never before, and her voice was hoarse from hollering for so long.

Breathless and practically voiceless, Melody sank back and leaned against the cool wall behind her. She figured she had been fighting the seaweed chains and shrieking for help for about ten minutes, giving her only around five more minutes until her legs were back and she would be left to die alone in some dark, unknown cave in the middle of the ocean.

For some reason Melody could have sworn she had hear Chase's voice right after her mother had been taken. Something along the lines of him apologizing and telling her to slap him later for not being quick enough to save her. _Could I really have heard him? _

Her thoughts were cut short by the sound of a blast and an appalled yell. There were more noises of hustle and bustle, people moving around. She leaned her ear as close to the door as she could to hear what was happening.

"Where's Melody?" She heard her grandfather's voice and couldn't help but feel somewhat relieved.

"In here!" she cried, begging that someone on the outside would hear her pleas for help.

"You killed my pets you-!" Another blast, this one sounding even closer to the wall than the previous one, drowned out her voice.

"Eric, get Ariel out of here and go back to find Chase! I need him to get Melody out of here!" There was a swishing sound, the one made when someone swam away. She prayed to the ceiling that both of her parents hadn't just left her here.

Suddenly, a voice popped into her head. _I'm coming Mel…_

"That's Chase…" Melody whispered. She _had_ heard him before. How, she didn't know, but it had been him! She smiled thoughtfully, knowing he was coming. That this would all be over with soon enough.

All of a sudden, she began to feel a burning sensation in her lower extremity. Her stomach soon began to feel the throbbing phenomenon and she gasped at everything that was going through her. Melody knew this only meant one thing:

_I'm going to die…_

* * *

**A/N: Wow guys, I suck... I haven't updated since when? October? Yeah, sorry... Uhm, I hope this chapter makes up for it! I have an idea of where I'm going with this but you'll just have to wait and seeeeee~~ HOPEFULLY will have a new chapter up Tuesday. And that means only one thing: 'The End' is coming soon. **


	12. The End of an Era

Ariel's tail was beginning to feel like there was an anchor weighed to it and she didn't really have any idea where she was headed. She fought the urge to stop and rest by picturing Melody and Eric in her head, knowing that they were in an extremely dangerous and dire situation. Her finding Chase was all she could do at the moment as she was unsure of anything else that could possibly help the situation.

With another kick, Ariel groaned inwardly. _I knew I should have come down here to swim more often… I'm so out of shape! _The thought brought an image of a giggling Melody to her head, laughing at her mother for not being able to keep up with her. Ariel smiled half heartedly, hoping that she may be able to hear the laugh again, if even once more.

In the distance, a bright, pulsating light was headed her way. She squint her eyes to try to make out what it was in the now dim lighted waters. There was absolutely no mistaking what the light was from, but didn't she just leave where that light was?

"Princess Ariel!" The voice was familiar, and then the face, but the fact that the person before her was holding a trident that was an exact replica of her father's made no sense to Ariel. She eyed the trident and Chase for a while before pointing to her throat and doing a chopping motion, indicating she had lost all ability to speak. Chase nodded and swallowed hard. Yes, he wanted to fight. Neptune only knew how he wanted to fight, but the fear was also undeniable.

_I'm going to die…_ Melody… If she could hear his voice, he could hear hers, though he had no clue why. Nevertheless, the voice was panicked, and Chase felt a sense of panic grow inside of him as well.

"Lead the way…" Chase said, and soon was swimming alongside Ariel.

* * *

Cerberus was strong, stronger than Triton remembered either of his sisters being. His potions, though old, still had powers in them that even the trident couldn't match. Triton had tried to break the bottles, but smashing open one had proved to do no good. The explosion had caused a hole to be blown in the ceiling and more rocks had caved in.

However, the explosion had gotten Eric thinking. If he could grab one of those potions and throw it at the wall separating him and his daughter, perhaps it could open the barrier and he could get inside in enough time to save Melody. With Triton and Cerberus throwing heavy blasts back and forth at one another, Eric used the bottom of the cavern to his advantage, avoiding their higher aimed attack methods in order to finally reach a bottle. It was dusty, something that shocked Eric considering it was always around water. He grabbed the potion and swam quickly to where Melody was. He raised his arm and threw the bottle, the time between the letting go of the glass and contact with the wall seeming to go in slow motion.

Triton and Cerberus both saw the bottle Eric had chosen, and simultaneously cried out, "No!" The potion was the most powerful of the sea, even more powerful than Triton and Chase's tridents put together, or Ursula, Morgana, and Cerberus's powers put together. It had been created by Zeus and left in the hands of his not-so-trustworthy sons. Cerberus had never understood how his family had come across it, but he knew that it needed to be kept safe, for if it wasn't, the chances of anyone living were slim to none.

Triton knew it was too late. He grabbed Eric underneath his arms and began to drag him away from the scene, while Cerberus rushed forward, trying with all his might to stop the bottle from colliding with the wall of rock. But he was too late; far too late. As Eric fought Triton, trying to get back to Melody, the potion collided with the wall, causing an explosion worthy of some type of award. Triton and Eric were blasted from the scene, shrapnel hitting them both and the sight being so blinding that it nearly knocked both of them out.

"Melody!" was all Eric managed to scream before hearing the horrified and brutal shrieks of Cerberus as the explosion followed through to him. It was as if everything happening wasn't real; the cavern was gone, and now Cerberus was too, the pieces of him that still remained floating down slowly to the depths of the ocean, making Eric slightly nauseous. As the smoke cleared, Eric saw that the area where the bottle had hit had left a hole big enough for anyone to swim through, but his thoughts told him to turn away. There was absolutely no way his daughter had survived that, and it was his fault…

As Eric turned to Triton, he saw nothing but a red trail following the heavily bearded man. Eric swam down hurriedly and grabbed Triton, laying him down softly on a rock. The shrapnel had hurt him badly, causing multiple wounds to appear on his skin, the heaviest being a piece of glass stuck in the king's stomach. Eric prayed that this wasn't it; that this wasn't how the legend that he was fighting so hard to stop was going to end.

"Don't worry, sir, you'll be fine…" Eric slowly extracted the large piece of glass, immediately putting his hand over the wound to create a pressure. The only thing he knew to use as a bandage was seaweed, but he couldn't leave his father-in-law. Not like this, not in the state he was in. Eric even feared leaving anywhere in the state he himself was in…

* * *

Melody knew it wouldn't be long until her breathing abilities were gone. In preparation, she took a deep breath and held it, fighting the urge to cry out in pain as her tail was forced apart and made back into legs. It was never this painful when her grandfather changed her, and it hadn't even been this bad when Morgana had changed her. Melody still fought against her seaweed handcuffs, though it was to no avail. Once her legs were fully back, Melody's eyes went wide as she realized the lower half of her was completely bare, something that _certainly_ had never happened before.

Her fighting only stopped when she heard a cry from outside. What sounded like a pebble hitting glass to her set of the sound of an explosion outside followed by cries and then… silence. The wall surrounding her slowly dissolved as if acid had been poured on it. Melody could only see smithereens of… things as she stared out into the vast ocean. It was only when she realized that she was choking that Melody remembered she had screamed at the sound of the explosion outside. The water began to sting her eyes, and burning sensations in her wrists revealed that her tugging and pulling had done nothing but slice open her wrists a bit. Suddenly things began to grow dark, and not just because of the setting sun outside. Melody felt her eyes begin to droop and her heart began to slow. She was growing tired… Very… Tired…

* * *

Ariel pointed ahead about fifty yards in the distance and Chase could see the cavern. He told her to stay back, and began his descent to the lair. Before he had gone even five yards, the entire area exploded, the force of it pushing Chase backwards. He could do nothing but watch as he saw a blue tailed man tug a white tailed man out of the cavern, and then bits of some type of flesh floated in front of his face.

"NO!" Ariel's voice was back, and that could only mean one thing: Cerberus was dead. The curse on her voice had been broken. Both were soon filled with dread when they realized that Eric and Triton were not accompanied by a bright eyed, red tailed, onyx haired teenager with them.

"Ariel, go to King Triton and Prince Eric. I'll get Melody." Without another word he took off, heading straight for the only place of the lair still left intact. A quick look inside from the distance proved that someone was in there, but that they had legs instead of a tail. Chase's heart dropped but his tail picked up speed until he reached his destination. When he got inside, Chase saw Melody's eyes close and her head drop to her side. She was trapped against the wall, her arms limp and the only thing keeping her up were her handcuffs. Chase blasted the seaweed chains away and grabbed Melody around the waist. He blasted a hole in the other side of the room and swam to the surface. He made sure Melody resurfaced first, hoping the air would bring her to her senses.

Finding he was wrong, Chase looked around frantically for somewhere to put Melody; somewhere safe. He would have changed her back into a mermaid but he had no clue how. That was for further training he had yet to receive. Much to Chase's relief, he saw an island in the distance. Making sure that Melody always remained above water, Chase swam to the island and laid her down gently.

"Now how do I do that thing again…" Chase couldn't quite remember how to give CPR until an earlier event reminded him: when he and Melody kissed. "Of course!" Leaning down, Chase put his lips against Melody's and gave her a bit of breath before doing three hard pushes on her stomach. All merpeople had been forced to learn this technique as soon as Ariel and Eric had been married. Triton had feared that some of his new family and friends might unfortunately end up at sea with only a merperson to save them. Out of respect for his new son-in-law, Triton made it law that all merfolk learn the procedure, and it had actually come in handy quite a few times.

After repeating the same process for a third time, Melody began to cough, slowly waking up. Chase watched her carefully, ready to swoop in to help again if she needed it. As Melody's eyes opened and met his, Chase could only smile at her. "Hey there…"

Melody's mind was on a different page though. She left his gaze and sat up abruptly to look at her feet. Her legs. She feared that these might be what she was stuck with for the rest of her life, unable to ever visit her home below again. The pain had been too much, far too much. If she were ever able to obtain her tail again, she might fear losing it, afraid that the pain would be just the same as last time.

Chase followed her gaze. He had seen plenty of human legs before, especially after he met Melody and met her human friends. But something was different this time… It seemed like she was lacking something. Chase's gaze went from her feet, to her calves, to her thighs, to her-.

Oh.

Chase felt his face turn red and he promptly shut his eyes. "I should, uhm, go tell your parents you're alright. And check on them. And your grandfather."

Melody remained confused for a second, wondering why on Earth Chase would be acting so weird. And then it made sense. Melody scrambled to her feet, tripping over herself a bit as she tried to get used to her legs once more and over the dizzy feeling from nearly drowning. She hid her lower half behind a tree and nodded at Chase. "So-sounds awesome. Cool. Yeah. I, erm, I'll just be here."

Without another word, Chase dove back under the water, his face still burning, and went down to meet with the others.

* * *

"Oh Daddy…" Ariel watched helplessly as Eric tightly wrapped the seaweed Ariel had just gotten around her father's torso. He looked like he was in so much pain, but he was still fighting.

"Just a-." Wince. "Small wound, Ariel…." Triton was trying his best to remain still but something that sharp and deep being plunged into his stomach was a hard pain to get away from.

"Done, sir…" Eric said quietly, sounding defeated. His stare went back to the area where moments ago he had witnessed young Chase rescue his daughter. He had no idea if Melody was okay, or if Chase was. Ariel had watched the surface while Eric had bandaged King Triton up, hoping that by some miracle, Melody was safe.

As he helped lift Triton up into a sitting position, Eric felt a tickling sensation in his tail. After everything that had happened because of that thing, he hated it, but Ariel's surprised gasp made him look. As he watched, each scale turned from a creamy color to a vibrant orange. He blinked and wondered what on Earth _this_ could mean.

"Please tell me this isn't another legend…" he mumbled. Eric picked up on Ariel's slight giggle and looked at her.

"No, Eric… It means it's over. The legend is over and broken. We-We did it…" Ariel kissed her husband happily, only fearing that perhaps one piece of the legend had come true…

"King Triton, sir! You're alright!" Chase swam up to the trio with a big smile on his face. Triton nodded politely at the boy, but his glare demanded to know where his granddaughter was.

"Chase… Where is Melody?" The last time anyone had ever heard that question come from Ariel's mouth in that tone was when Melody had been taken by Morgana. Chase smiled at the princess in a reassuring manner.

"Up on an island. I'll lead you there but nothing more. She's kinda… Well, to be honest? She's sort of lacking clothes…" Chase felt his face turn bright red again and he kept his eyes locked on Ariel, already feeling the glowers coming from Triton and Eric. With a nervous laugh, he led everyone to the island that Melody was at. Triton swam slower than the rest, his wound being the most recent. Ariel's ribs still ached, but her father had fixed those for her the moment he had seen her.

"There," Chase announced while he pointed a finger to the island where Melody was.

At the sound of Chase's voice, Melody poked her head around from the tree. She smiled slightly at her family and gave a half wave, causing Ariel to nearly sob in relief. With a point of his wand, Triton sent a familiar looking form of magic Melody's way, causing her to lift behind the trees. When she was finally above them, she dove back underneath the water, her red tail back in place. The warmth from the change that her grandfather had given her drove all fears of being a mermaid from Melody's head; that and the procession of hugging and kissing from everyone.

While he watched Melody be adorned on by her family, Chase felt the trident in his hand start to shrink until it was back to the size of the charm it had been earlier. The necklace reappeared and Chase immediately replaced the necklace around his neck, glad to be rid of the excess weight. He debated whether or not to swim back to Atlantica to alert everyone that the legend was over, and they were all safe once more, but a stinging sensation on his cheek brought him back to his senses.

"Ah, so you _did_ hear me…" Chase said, grinning at Melody as he held his cheek. Melody laughed and nodded, quickly pulling Chase into a hug. Without him, she knew she probably would have died. She hoped he would forgive her for her thoughts about his beautiful future princess, even if he hadn't met her yet.

At the feel of her embrace, Chase quickly wrapped his arms around Melody. Her hair, taken by the current of the sea, surrounded his face in an embrace of its own. Chase could only laugh at the tickling feelings he gained from Melody's hug.

"Chase, I'm so sorry…" Melody whispered. She was close to tears, but she wasn't going to give into those now. She didn't want to give into them ever. It was bad enough that Chase had seen her cry earlier, but now? After everything _he_ had been through?

Chase grabbed Melody by the chin and lifted her face up to look at his. He smiled at her and shook his head. "You seriously do not get it, Mel. You really don't…" With another grin, he pulled Melody to him once more and kissed her. After all, that had been his plan: get slapped and then kiss the girl.

Ariel smiled at her daughter and her new found love. She leaned against Eric slightly. "Familiar much?" The silence from her husband was not a good sign and when she looked up at him, there was a vein bulging from his temple that wasn't normally there. With a small chuckle, Ariel took her husband's hand and led him from the scene. "Come on, Daddy. We have to let the people know."

The three adults left, leaving Melody and Chase to their own devices. After what seemed like hours, Chase pulled away and tucked a piece of hair behind Melody's ears.

"So… Do _all_ humans look that good naked?"

* * *

**A/N: Phew. First off, I apologize for that STUPID author's note. You guys all need to thank animeluverqueen for bringing me to my senses. It was definitely tough love but let me tell you, it got me to typing. You can certainly expect an epilogue after this (What? Me leave you hanging about Melody and Chase?) as well as a preview to my next story, most likely a sequel to this. Thanks so much for staying on my arse about this guys. I love all of you. **


	13. Epilogue

Melody sat staring at the waves, a smile on her face as the water lapped against her feet. She looked around her at the area where a giant wall had once separated her from this beautiful view. The gulls flying over the sea avoided collisions with one another by swooping low and grazing their beaks across the salty seas.

A cry amongst the gulls stuck out from all the rest. In fact it was almost a sing-song voice. Melody's smile grew and she jumped to her feet. "Scuttle!"

The bird came to a screeching halt in the sand, his feet getting caught and causing him to tumble until he finally stopped. Scuttle sat up holding his head to see five blurry Melodys running in his direction.

"Scuttle, I swear, you're trying to kill yourself…" Melody grinned at him and helped him to his feet. "So what're you doing here?"

Scuttle stumbled a bit as he stood up but quickly regained his balance. He had endured so many crashes that the dizzy feelings were pretty much something he felt on a regular basis. "The fish, Flounder, wanted me to tell ya' he's on his way with Chase and your grandfather. Not a clue what they want but they asked me to tell ya' that."

Melody thanked Scuttle, confused and quite frankly worried. There had been no plans of Melody seeing either Chase or Triton, not until she visited her second home again that is. She feared something may have gone awry in the kingdom below. Before she had a chance to let her thoughts finish processing, Melody heard a tapping noise and the sound of someone out of breath. Melody spun around to see Flounder tapping the water to get her attention. "Here… Is…" The fish took a deep breath, muttering what sounded like, "Sweet Neptune I'm out of shape…" under his breath. "Your grandfather and… Chase…" With that Flounder sighed in relief and smiled as he relaxed into the water.

At the mention of their names, Triton and Chase popped up from the water. Melody beamed at them. It had been a month since she had last seen the pair. Her father had determined that while he and Ariel were out of town to try to talk to another kingdom about trade opportunities, Melody should stay with Carlotta and Grimsby to avoid suspicions that the true reason the royal family had left was to find the young princess a suitor. Chase smiled back at her but didn't move from his spot. Melody began to hurry into the water to greet Chase before her grandfather held up his hand to stop her. She immediately stopped but gave Triton a strange look. "What is it?"

"Sebastian and I decided that it was time for Chase to begin his search for his future queen," the king explained. Melody felt her heart drop at those words. It seemed to be more of a warning to her rather than a comforting message. "Oh…"

Chase quickly picked up on her disappointed looks as her shoulders slowly fell and her smile faded. "Yeah, and we also know that your parents probably want to have you start to look for a prince to marry and so your grandfather asked me what I would want to do and-." The future king cut his sentence short and took a deep breath before locking eyes with Melody. "Mel, I already told you this, but I still know for certain that there is only one princess I want… That's what I told your grandfather and his next move was to bring me here…"

Melody took a step closer to the water, her feet completely submerged now. Triton raised his hand to stop his granddaughter again but she ignored him this time, determined to get further into the water. "While that's wonderful for the sea, I have a life on land which includes suitors and lately even proposals." Melody rolled her eyes as she got waist deep into the water, standing about two feet away from Chase. "So what's your solution to that?"

Chase grinned at Triton before turning back to Melody. "We've got that covered already Mel."

Melody narrowed her eyes, trying to figure out what he could possibly mean. She laughed to herself at the only answer she could think of: Chase with legs. The image in her head was nothing but a stumbling Chase, tripping on stairs as he tried to get accustomed to balancing himself on two legs rather than relying on a single tail.

Chase glared at Melody. "I know what you're thinking. Quit laughing, jerk…" His complaining made Melody laugh harder before she dove under the waves to make her way towards Chase. However, she wasn't greeted by the merman's tail under the water. Melody quickly pushed her way to the surface with her eyes wide. Chase merely smirked at her.

"Surprise."


	14. AcknoweldgementsAuthor's Note

I know author's notes are frowned upon but I swear this will be short, sort of like the acknowledgements thing at the end of a real book:

I just want to thank you guys so much for sticking with me throughout all of this. I know I can sometimes be maddening when I don't update when I say I will and all that jazz but I appreciate you sticking with this more than you will ever understand. I had such a fantastic time writing this, especially when hearing all of your opinions and your input. I always love constructive criticism and you guys are fantastic with it.

Obviously this is not only the epilogue to A Change of Pace but also a prologue or foreshadowing type thing for the next thing I will be publishing which is First Steps. I hope to see all of your names commenting there and giving me hints as to possible plot holes and whatnot.

Also, shout outs to my mom and dad who supported me by giving me a laptop to type on, my friends for understanding my obsession with TLM, my proofreaders, and especially you guys.

I love you all.

~Maryanne


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